Two Kinds of Light
by Nomaias
Summary: Mutants are becoming a source of concern for people in Washington, and Senator Fulwood is going to ensure that something is done about them, which brings three of his people to Xavier's Institute. COMPLETE!
1. The Challenge of Change

**A/N & Disclaimer:** Originally written for myself and a few friends for our own amusement. I don't own any of the X-Men, sadly. I'm just borrowing them for my story. Comments are welcome. Chapters will be held ransom for a few reviews. ;)

Chapter I: The Challenge of Change

"_Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful, it is threatening, because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful, it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident, it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better." – King Whitney Jr._

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are not here to condemn the branching of the evolution of the human race into something that is becoming a source of concern for our families, our homes, and our lives. We are here to determine whether this branching poses a threat, and to take appropriate measures against it if it is deemed necessary."

As applause rang through the hearing chamber, Howard Fulwood, a tall, swarthy man in his early forties, stepped down from the podium, mopping his brow quickly with a limp, white handkerchief. Thank goodness that the hearing was finally over with. It had gone unusually well. No one had stood up to question his statements. Not even a single mutant, and he knew very well that some of them had to have been out there, listening.

"Senator Fulwood! Can you tell us how exactly you plan to determine whether mutants pose a threat to the rest of the population?"

"What measures will you take against them?"

"Senator, how will you respond to Senator Radler's claim that mutants and humans should be able to co-exist peacefully?"

The endless barrage of questions from the press assaulted him as he made his way outside, causing him to pause on the steps to say briefly into the microphones that were eagerly held toward him, "The mutant situation will be dealt with in an efficient manner. Although Senator Radler and I have opposing views, let me assure the public, and especially my people in Florida, that I will do all that I can to ensure that your homes are kept safe from the powers of these mutated individuals. Thank you."

With a quiet click, the television's screen went blank.

"I've heard enough of this, " Logan said gruffly, leaning against the wall behind him.

"We all have, Logan, " Storm replied, quietly. "But how else are we to stay informed on how the rest of the world views us?"

"Nearly everyone else in the country would agree with this Fulwood guy, " the lupine man retorted. "They hate and fear us. I don't need a news broadcast to tell me _that_."

"They hate and fear what they don't understand, " Ororo Munroe corrected, standing from one of the many ornate couches in Xavier's mansion. "It's a repetitive trend that we see often in our study of the course of history. As long as men are prejudiced, there will be ill will and misunderstandings. If they were brought to an understanding of mutants, perhaps -- "

"It's an age-old argument, Storm, " Professor Charles Xavier said gently, wheeling into the living room. "And one that isn't likely to be answered completely anytime soon. As long as there are people working toward a more peaceful way of life between mutants and humans, there will always be those who feel that humanity must be separated into two separate factions, that mutants are dominant, and that we must do whatever we can to ensure our own survival."

"Sometimes you have to do what's necessary to survive, " Logan responded after a moment. "And when you live from day-to-day, you don't have the time to find a side to stand on. You have to do what's in your best interests."

"Yes, " Xavier agreed, "but when you find the time, Logan, you will eventually have to confront the ideals that concern you, and decide where to take a stand."

"As you did?"

The professor closed his eyes briefly, and then re-opened them. "Yes, Logan. As we all did." He paused. "And as some mutants soon will." His gaze shifted slightly to include Ororo. "Storm, there are a couple of mutants who fall under Senator Fulwood's jurisdiction that I need you to bring back to the mansion. They will be affected by his plans sooner than most, if his plans come to fruition. They will be much safer, here. Take Logan with you."

"And if they don't cooperate?" Logan asked.

"I'm reasonably certain that an old friend of mine will soon pay them a visit, " Xavier answered with the hint of a smile, wheeling out of the room.

" … let me assure the public, and especially my people in Florida, that I will do all that I can to ensure that your homes are kept safe from the powers of these mutated individuals. Thank you."

Kimberly turned off the television and flopped back onto the couch in her friend's living room, staring balefully at the blank screen. "This is getting ridiculous, " she muttered.

"The mutant situation that they keep talking about?" Natalie asked, as she shut the door to her room and moved to join the other girl. "I heard his last statement to the press before I shut off my TV in there." She rolled her eyes a little. "They're people, just like us. Why can't he – or any of those other people up there – see that?"

"Because they're government officials?" Kim quipped in response, shrugging. "Or maybe because Senator Fulwood is a Republican? I heard on the news last week that Senator Radler from New Jersey disagrees with him. He's in favor of mutants being able to peacefully co-exist with humans."

"Let me guess. He's a Democrat?"

"Obviously, Nat. He has sensible ideas, after all."

Natalie opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a cheerful voice.

"Good morning, " Jessica smiled as she emerged from the bathroom. Her bright expression faltered slightly as she noticed the expressions on her friends' faces, and the fact that the television was off. That was odd. Her hazel eyes narrowed a little. "Is everything alright?"

"They're taking shots at mutants again, Jess, " Nat explained, tightly. "It's not right. I'm really getting tired of listening to them talk about it."

"The _Republicans_ are mainly advocating how dangerous mutants can be, " Kim argued. "Not everyone agrees. The Democrats are certainly taking the opposite viewpoint, although I'm not sure if they're doing it just to spite their opposing party, or because that's what they really believe in. Either way, at least someone is trying to speak up for them."

Jessica sighed, and slowly took a seat on the couch, shaking her head. "Prejudice is always such an injustice, " she murmured sadly. "It shouldn't be that way. I've never met a mutant, but I've heard about what they can do. They're just – special. There's nothing wrong with them, I suppose."

Kim blanched a little, and her gaze fell to her hands, twisted in her lap. She joked with her friends all of the time about being psychic, having a heightened ESP, and being able to read people's minds, but what they didn't know was that she was actually telling the truth. From about the age of eleven or twelve, she slowly grew more and more aware of what she was capable of doing. It had helped that her mother, too, was a telepath; she was also able to sense physiological and psychological changes in an individual's overall health, over time. Some of that talent had been passed on to her daughter, and although she was nowhere near as adept at it as her mother, it would still enable her to become a wonderful doctor, someday. Her intuition also told her volumes about the people around her. She could easily pick out other telepaths, just by coming face-to-face with them. She knew that Natalie had some telepathic abilities, and a very strong intuition, as did Jessica, although she was certain that those were not their primary abilities. But they were, as her mother often told her, special. They were all special, gifted individuals. But what exactly was this gift? Did it have a name?

" … superstitious and say that it's unnatural, but I don't think there's anything wrong with it, " Natalie was saying, as she drew her thoughts back to the present. "That's the way that species change, isn't it? Mutation?"

Jess nodded. "Yep, that's what we learned in AP Bio, at least. Point mutations are the most common. It's how organisms evolved over millions of years into animals, plants, and – us."

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"I'll get it, " Nat sighed, reluctantly getting up off of the couch and heading toward the front door. Opening it, she stared for a long moment at the gruff-looking man and white-haired woman standing on her front porch. "Can I help you with something?"

The tall woman nodded a little. "I think so. We're looking for someone who just got accepted into our private school."

"Oh, you mean like – a private college?"

"If that's what you want to call it, " the man answered with a shrug. "We were just sent by the – administration – to speak to the new students."

Natalie scratched her head a little. "Okay … I'm going to assume you mean Kim or Jess?"

The other two girls had, by this time, made their way to the door – especially when their names were mentioned.

Kimberly frowned a little as she watched their reactions. The man seemed tough, casual, and poised all in one. He didn't want there to be any trouble. Neither did the woman. Attempting to idly poke deeper to find out why they were there, the girl winced, suddenly, and pressed her hands to her head. There was some sort of electricity surrounding the woman's mind, which acted as a sort of shield. It deflected psychic energies easily, as Kim discovered the hard way. However it managed it, it was painful.

The white-haired woman lifted a hand to her own head at the same moment, peering closely at Kim. "You're one of them, " she said slowly. "Who's the other? Or are you both also – like her?"

Jessica looked confused. Very confused. "What do you mean, 'like her?'"

"Are you both also mutants, like her? Like us?" the man elaborated, bluntly.

"Mutants?' Natalie repeated. "I don't know. Is that why you're here? To find out if we're – mutants or not?"

"If you are mutants, " the man began, but was abruptly cut off by Nat's sudden accusation of, "You're from the government, aren't you! You're here to take her, or Jess, or all of us away and out of our lives, just because we're mutants!" She glared at him. "How _dare_ you!" And as her anger grew, the room steadily began to darken.

Jess gasped. "Nat – what are you doing?" she cried, suddenly afraid, drawing closer to Kim. "You're making it go dark in here – stop!"

The lights in the dining room quickly dimmed and then died as the air surrounding the infuriated girl grew darker and darker. Shadows coalesced in front of her, shaping themselves into objects that resembled staffs, or heavy weapons from the Middle Ages.

Kimberly closed her eyes, and focused on warmth and reassurance. She was fairly certain that the two people standing there were not from the government, nor were they there to ruin their lives. They had good intentions. Reaching out with one hand to grasp Natalie's shoulder, she gently placed the other arm around Jessica, and blanketed their consciousness in warmth and comfort. _Relax, Nat, _she said firmly. _They're not here to harm us. I think that they just want to take us to their school._

After a lengthy pause, the shadows slowly dissipated. The lights in the dining room flickered and then with a small surge, returned to their normal illumination.

"Well, are you coming, then?"

Jessica trembled as the lighting returned to normal. She'd never seen anything like that before. "C-Coming?" she squeaked, still quite a bit shaken.

Nat shook her head a little, gently disengaging her friend's hand from her shoulder. "If you're not from the government, then where the hell are you from?"

"We teach at a school in New York, " the woman replied, "a school for mutants, like us. We teach the younger mutants everything that you'd normally learn in school, but also how to develop, hone, and control your powers. You'll be much safer, if you come with us. Whatever the government chooses to do, we'll do everything we can to stay ahead of them. We seek harmony between humans and mutants, not mutant or human supremacy."

"Like Senator Radler, " Kim said, slowly. "If everyone at your school thinks like the Democrats, it can't be all that bad, can it?"

Jess managed a tremulous smile and a weak laugh. "She's saying that if you're not Republicans, you're probably alright."

The man gave a short, appreciative chuckle. "Well, if you're coming, we'll walk you to the jet."

Natalie's eyes rounded. "Jet? You get to your school by a private _jet_?"

The woman nodded, smiling a little. "We certainly do. We even teach some of our team members how to fly it – the ones that show an aptitude for it, that is."

That was all the convincing that Natalie needed. They had a jet, ideals that butted heads with the Republicans, and mutant and human harmony? On second thought, going to this private school suddenly didn't sound so bad. "Alright, I'll – go, " she said at last, much to everyone else's surprise.

The white-haired woman looked relieved. "Wonderful. Our jet is actually situated a little ways down the street, so if you'll gather what belongings you want to take with you, and follow me, please?"

And all three did. Although none of the trio was currently aware of it, they were about to embark upon a journey that would alter the course of their lives forever.


	2. Facta Non Dicta

Chapter II: Facta Non Dicta+

"_You can know the name of a bird in all the languages of the world, but when you're finished, you'll know absolutely nothing whatsoever about the bird. So let's look at the bird and see what it's doing – that's what counts." – Richard Feynman_

Ororo Munroe was, by nature, a very patient woman. She knew that it could take hours, sometimes days, for things to happen in nature. She also knew, as Charles Xavier liked to point out, just how quickly the winds could change. She was, simply stated, a force of nature incarnate. The weather shifted at her will, and often reflected her mood.

The flight back to the mansion had been exceedingly trying, for lack of a better word. Two of the three new recruits didn't take too well to flying, she noted absently. The girl who had attempted to penetrate her mind – she was reasonably certain that she was a telepath – merely sat serenely by a window and stared out at the scenery. She was definitely one of the quieter passengers she could remember seeing on the jet. The girl with light brown hair had been extremely reluctant to come, but with the telepath holding one of her arms, and the shadow controlling, streaked-hair girl holding the other, she really had little choice in the matter. She spent the entire first half of the flight with her eyes squeezed shut, mumbling something under her breath about "not liking flying" very much. And as for the girl with streaked hair – well, she proved to be a veritable test for Storm's patience. After the thirty-eighth, "Are we there yet?" Ororo felt her brow constrict, and felt, rather than heard the ominous rumble of thunder in the distance.

The dark-haired telepath immediately cringed as the thunder continued to rumble throughout the remainder of the flight, the girl with streaked hair didn't seem to notice (or perhaps she just didn't care), and the nervous girl only increased the frequency of her mumblings.

"They sure are a strange bunch, " Logan commented from the navigator's seat, turning his head slightly toward her.

Storm raised an eyebrow. "I'd say that that's an understatement, " she replied, quietly. "I don't think even Magneto would be able to make use of them at this stage."

He shrugged. "He'd find a use for them, I'm sure of it. They're still untrained. They'll do alright once they get enrolled and take a trip to the Danger Room."

Storm suppressed a grimace with difficulty. "If she asks me one more time if we're there yet, I swear I'll – "

"Hey, are we there yet?" the girl with the streaked hair was clearly heard calling, doing her best to hide the laughter in her voice.

Thunder cracked sharply in the skies, and Storm's eyes began to whiten, but the touch of Logan's hand on her arm made the weather goddess take due pause. "_What_, Logan?"

"Fasten your seatbelts, kids, " Wolverine had called back into the cabin as he followed his own advice. "We're coming in for a landing."

Storm shook her head as she escorted the three girls into the entrance hall of the mansion. Hopefully the next time that the girl with the streaked hair ended up traveling somewhere, she wouldn't be one of the adults doing the driving. "Welcome to the Xavier School for the Gifted, " she said, allowing the new recruits a moment for retrieving their jaws from the floor. "The residential rooms are on the second floor. Follow me, please. We'll get you enrolled after you're settled in."

Fifteen minutes later saw the three girls settled in a three-bed dorm room, and even after just unpacking the essentials of life, it was clearly obvious who had claimed which area. The bed farthest from the doorway was strewn with multiple pairs of black pants, a silver Nintendo GameCube, and several pairs of drum sticks. The bed in the middle currently had multiple hardbound books haphazardly piled on it, along with tons of jeans, t-shirts, and a notebook case bearing the Apple logo on the front. The bed closest to the doorway had some books on it, also, but not quite as many as the middle bed. There was also a black Nintendo GameCube, and a very worn, well-loved stuffed toy of Sonic the Hedgehog.

"When you've finished, " Storm said quietly from the doorway, "Professor Xavier will see you."

As the girls trouped down the hall following Storm, Natalie paused to stare toward a section of the wall that she could have sworn just swung shut, like an elevator. The girl blinked. Walls don't move on a daily basis. Glancing quickly around, she stepped closer to it, and pressed inward. As the wall turned, she found herself in an elevator, and before she had time to react, it swung shut in front of her again, and she began to descend toward the subterranean level of the mansion.

Jessica's brows drew together in concentration as she walked closer to one of the many magnificent paintings lining the walls of the hallways in Xavier's mansion, and gazed at it for a long moment. The artist had truly done an excellent job creating the image of the Siberian husky. He was absolutely beautiful. "Hey, Nat, " she said softly, turning around, "don't you think that this painting's -- "

There was no one behind her.

The girl gulped, and glancing ahead of her again, suddenly noticed that Kim and Storm had already navigated to a different hallway. Jess gazed slowly around her, hazel eyes roving from one door to the next. She was completely and utterly lost.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced, " Kimberly said after a lengthy silence of walking down hallways, dark gaze riveted on Ororo's snowy hair. "I'm Kimberly."

"Ororo Munroe, " came the response, "also known as Storm."

"Storm?" the dark-haired telepath repeated, confusedly.

"It's my code name, " she explained, "referring to the powers that have manifested due to my mutation. I can control the weather."

Kim's eyes widened slightly. "It was _you_ that created the rumbling thunder during the flight, " she said, suddenly, with a flash of insight.

Storm nodded a little, acknowledging responsibility for the beginnings of what could have become a spectacular storm. "I did." She paused as they returned to the entrance hall, and turned toward the girl. "I'm sorry to have to leave you, but I need to go get ready for my next class. If you continue walking across this adjacent hallway, you should be able to find the professor's study." She blinked suddenly, and inhaled sharply. "What happened to the other two girls who were right behind you?"

Kim turned to peer behind her, and goggled. Jess and Nat were gone. "I … don't know, " she murmured, confused. Just _when_ had they snuck off, anyway?

"Well, I don't have time to chase them all over the mansion, " Ororo rejoined, impatiently. "The professor will be able to find them once you locate him. Have a good afternoon, Kimberly. I'll see you in class tomorrow, I expect."

As Storm hurried off toward her classroom, Kimberly stood uncertainly in the middle of the entrance hall, gaze straying briefly toward the heavy, front doors. They were lovely doors, really, and seemed to be the tip of the iceberg to the opulence that was clearly prevalent throughout the mansion. Dubiously, she began walking toward the hallway indicated by the white-haired weather goddess, stopping suddenly as she heard footsteps pursue her. Whipping her head around, she saw that no one was there, and edged glances to the left and right. She was certain that there was someone else standing there next to her. _Maybe the mansion's haunted,_ she thought to herself, continuing down the hallway with some trepidation.

As she drew near a stretch of what appeared to be well-paneled wall, a strong feeling of anticipation suddenly overtook her. Her pulse quickened. Something good was about to happen, her mind seemed to say, drawing her thoughts steadily to the wall. Perhaps if she just pressed on it, utilized the passage that it afforded …

The wall swung open as she leaned on it, and she found herself spun into another room as the door shut behind her. It blended in seamlessly with the pale, golden wall of the richly furnished study that she suddenly found herself in.

"Good afternoon."

Somewhat startled at the greeting, she turned, only to find a pair of pale eyes intently meeting her own, darker gaze. Instantly, the anticipation died away, replaced by a sense of calm tranquility. The gardens were quite lovely during the spring. She should stay to watch them blossom. Walking down the paths when the trees were in full bloom would be such a luxury to have.

A gentle nudge on her shoulder drew her from her reverie, and the girl blinked several times, gaze shifting slightly toward the polished desk, and then back to the awaiting figure behind it.

"You're a telepath, " Kimberly said, suddenly.

He smiled. "Yes, " he acknowledged with a small dip of his head, wheeling out from behind his desk. "And so are you."

She didn't look terribly surprised by that proclamation.

"I am Professor Charles Xavier, " he said by way of introduction, "and welcome to my school."

"For the gifted, " Kim added, briefly thinking of Storm's first words as she showed them into the mansion.

Xavier watched her expressions for a long moment, smiling inwardly as they suddenly flickered from confused, to tranquil, to anticipatory, and then settled into obvious confusion once more.

She lifted her hands to her head, pressing briefly at her temples. "What -- " she began, but was interrupted by Xavier's quiet, "You're an empathic telepath, as I suspected."

"Those thoughts about the gardens were yours, " she murmured, slowly. The pieces began to fall into place. "You led me here after Storm left to get ready for her next class."

He opened his mouth to reply, but glanced toward the doorway, instead, as a blue form appeared in mid-air with a loud BAMF!

Kimberly turned toward the sound, startled, and coughed, fanning the thick, sulfuric smoke away from her with one hand, staring at the golden-eyed creature standing before her.

"There's someone in the Danger Room, Kurt, " the professor said without preamble. "I need you to go in and get her. She's still untrained, and she doesn't need injuries on her first day here."

As Kurt nodded once and vanished in another swirl of dark smoke, Kim's eyes widened, and her expression grew fearful. "Nat, " she whispered.

The floors located beneath the well-furnished mansion bore no resemblance to the opulence displayed above them. Natalie marveled at the shiny walls as she stepped out into the hallway, gaze shifting from one shiny, metallic door to the next. They didn't resemble any doors that she had ever seen – save for the ones in science fiction movies. They looked more like cargo bay hatches on space ships. Curiously, she began to walk down the polished hallway, casting glances to the left and right, uneasily. It was too quiet, down here. She paused as she passed an area bearing several neat, leather suits, and stared at them for a long moment. They looked like combat suits, and appeared as though they would certainly be skin-tight on their wearers.

She turned to continue toward the immense hatch directly ahead of her, but her attention was caught by a door off to the side, complete with a little number pad attached to the wall. As she approached the door, it automatically opened, and the keypad lit up, with each of the numbers backlit with a bright, green light. Eyebrows knitting in a puzzled manner, Nat pressed the first button, and stepped inside, peering into the empty room with some disappointment. _Oh, darn, there's nothing here._

The doors shut behind her with a soft click.

Nat spun around and hastily took a step toward them, but couldn't help noticing as she did so that the room was – changing. She blinked, confused. Suddenly, she was standing in the middle of a large, open field. The sun was just about to set, and clouds were darkening the horizon. Loud clunking sounds announced the arrival of an immense robot, which took its time scanning the room.

"_Danger Room sequence one, activated,_" a mechanical voice said.

The robot finally caught sight of Natalie, and its red eyes glowed as it repeated, "_Mutant detected. Mutant detected. Standby for attack_."

The girl groaned, inwardly. _Crap._

As the colossal robot stomped closer and raised its weapon, there was suddenly a loud BAMF!

"Hurry, grab onto me!" a voice yelled in a thick, German accent. "We've got to get out of here!"

"That sounds really wrong, " she shouted back, struggling to see through the thick smoke that was briefly obscuring her vision, "but okay, if it gets me out of here alive!"

She caught a glimpse of amused, yellow eyes and felt strong arms wrapping themselves around her before sulfurous odors assaulted her nostrils, and a horrible pressure surrounded her body on all sides.

"I got her, Professor, " the creature carrying her announced.

Natalie groaned, feeling as though every inch of her body had just been squeezed through a tiny tube, and pulled back out again. She barely registered Kim's gasp of relief or a well-modulated voice saying, "Ah, good, " before everything went black.


	3. Mirrors of Life

**++Chapter III: Mirrors of Life++**

"_Life is just a mirror, and what you see out there, you must first see inside you."_

_Wally "Famous" Amos_

By the time Jessica had finally found her way back to her room, several hours had passed, drawing the afternoon gradually into evening. Thanking the girl who had shown her the way back to the residential hallway, she hesitated outside of the door for a few moments. Something didn't feel right. Nervously, she pushed the door open, halting at the scene inside.

"Is it – normal for people to react that way to teleportation?" she heard Kim asking.

"Most people feel, at the very least, some side effects from it, " a masculine voice answered, "but I think that your friend just had a little fright from being transported so suddenly from the Danger Room. She should be alright when she awakens."

"Nat?" Jess breathed, taking a few more steps into the room. She gasped, suddenly, and rushed to Natalie's bedside, staring down at the unconscious girl. "Oh my gosh, what happened to her?"

Kimberly scrambled off of her bed and rushed over to her friend. "Jess, you're alright! Where on earth did you _go_? I turned around and you were just – gone!"

"Your friend blacked out after being teleported out of the Danger Room, " Xavier informed her quietly. "She should awaken soon. She'll be alright."

"I got distracted by a painting in the hallway, " Jessica replied, a trifle sheepishly. Her wide, hazel eyes snapped to the professor sitting quietly by Nat's bedside. "Who're you?" she managed to get out.

"I am Professor Charles Xavier, " the owner of that name answered. "Welcome to my school, Jessica."

Jess relaxed a trifle. "Oh. Thank you. It's nice to meet you, " she replied, somewhat awkwardly.

"Professor, Logan said that you were – oh."

All three heads turned toward the voice in the doorway. "Come in, Scott, " Xavier said at last. "These are the new recruits that Storm and Logan brought in from Florida. Jessica, Kimberly, this is Scott Summers, also known as Cyclops."

Scott walked over to them, offering a hand for either to shake. After a moment, Kim took it, albeit a little hesitantly, and released it fairly quickly. "Professor, you wanted me to inform you if we had found anything else in regards to Magneto's activities."

The professor turned his attention briefly from Natalie to his field leader. "Yes?"

A small "Mrrrph" alerted Jess and Kim to the fact that Nat was waking up, and the girls exchanged looks of relief.

"There's been an unconfirmed report of some sort of mutant attack in Washington state, " Scott continued, "but we don't know yet if anything's actually happened there. According to the newscast, a bunch of vandals attempted to break into the Space Needle – but it doesn't look like the sort of work that a vandal would do."

Natalie chose that moment to fully awaken, and groaned as she cracked open first one eye, then the other. "What happened?" she muttered, groggily.

"Ah, Natalie, you're awake, " Xavier smiled. "You lost consciousness after Kurt teleported you out of the Danger Room." His expression briefly turned serious. "There's a reason that it's called the Danger Room, you know." He paused. "Normally, there are a few other side effects that come with the teleportation, but you seem to have evaded most of them, fortunately."

"Is she one of the new students, too?"

Nat peered blearily toward the man who had spoken. "Who's that?"

"Scott Summers, field leader, " Scott said, as he came forward to introduce himself. "I also go by Cyclops."

Slowly pushing herself into a sitting position, Natalie blinked at him for a long moment, expression contorting into a grimace. "I'm Natalie, " she managed to get out, before promptly doubling over and vomiting all over his teal, polo shirt.

Kim stumbled backward in her haste to move out of the way, bumped into the side of the professor's wheelchair, and promptly fell to the floor, wincing and rubbing at her head.

Jessica grimaced and hastily swung up onto the nearest bed – Kim's – and kept herself as far away from the sight of sickness as she could.

Professor Xavier closed his eyes briefly. "Disregard what I said a few moments ago about managing to evade most of the side-effects," he said after a moment.

Scott blanched, and with a quiet, "I hope you'll pay for this to be dry-cleaned, " he quickly left the room.

"I'll leave you three to get cleaned up and ready for dinner, " Xavier said at last, wheeling toward the doorway. "If you feel that you need medical attention, Natalie, I'll have someone take you down to the infirmary."

"I'll be alright, " Nat muttered thickly, wiping at her mouth with a sleeve. "Just give me some time to change. I'll come to dinner, but I can't guarantee that I'll eat anything."

He nodded, understandingly. "Of course. I'll see you all at dinner, then."

"How'd you end up there, Nat?" Kimberly wondered aloud as the door closed behind the professor.

"I saw this section of the wall acting like an elevator, " Natalie explained hoarsely, "and decided to check it out. It took me down to this really strange place – it looks more like something out of a science fiction movie than part of this rich mansion. There was this keypad with glowing buttons. I pushed one, this robot came in saying that it was going to attack me, and, well -- " She blanched, face greening slightly again.

Jess's eyes widened. "There's a place like that, here?" she asked, incredulously. "Wow."

"Yeah, " Natalie nodded, after a moment, "and I highly doubt that it's something the government would be happy knowing about. Then again, I'm sure they'd be ticked off to just learn that this school exists for mutants." She paused, rubbing briefly at her eyes. "Who was the guy that rescued me?"

"The professor said that his name was Kurt, " Kim replied. "He's a very – distinctive looking creature. I don't think it'd be very difficult to point him out in a crowd."

And just as Kimberly predicted, it wasn't difficult at all to point him out to Natalie. During dinner, she had nudged Nat, pointed to the blue guy as he walked in and took a seat at the dining room table, and nodded, eliciting a sudden grin from her friend. She couldn't help but notice that Natalie stared at Kurt quite frequently throughout dinner, and had to duck her head several times to hide her amused expression. Someone seemed quite taken with – someone.

During dinner, Professor Xavier delivered their schedules to them. Oddly enough, all three of the girls had classes at separate times, except for the one entitled "Mutant and Human Relations, " which was predictably taught by Xavier himself. They were each taking courses in history, mechanics, the sciences, literature, and mathematics, which wasn't too different from the sort of course load they were accustomed to having in high school, or from the ones that Kim and Jess had expected to see at college that fall.

"I have history first thing in the morning, " Kim noted aloud as they made their way back to their dormitory via the staircase after dinner, "and – oh, drat. Math is immediately afterward. And what's worse, this is _calculus_. I barely took any of that in high school."

"Yeah, well, at least you don't have to study _physics_ first thing in the morning, " Jessica griped as her friend made a face. "I'd take history over that any day."

"Least you don't have trigonometry right after breakfast, " Natalie replied, staring down at the rest of her schedule with a look of dislike as they climbed the second flight of stairs. "The only thing that sounds remotely enjoyable on here is the class on mechanics – well, and maybe that one on mutant and human relations. Everyone's required to take that one, right?"

"That's what it sounds like, " Kimberly answered, methodically scanning her own schedule. "I have independent study written in for an extra class, at the bottom," she remarked, somewhat absently. "I guess that's so that I can study a bit of my Latin, perhaps?" She glanced up, noticing that her friends were too absorbed in their own schedules to really give any sort of response, and then peered back down at the paper, eyes narrowing slightly. The instructor for "Independent Study" was listed as "Xavier, Charles."

"I think everyone trains immediately after classes, " Nat's voice broke in, tugging the girl out of her thoughts. "The girl that I sat next to during dinner – she said that her name was Rogue – mentioned that everyone goes into the Danger Room on different days."

Jess sighed as she opened the door to their room, and plopped down on her bed, carefully folding the schedule and setting it on the table next to her alarm clock. "Well, I don't know about you two, but I'm going to try to get some sleep before tomorrow. Somehow, I think that we're all going to need it."

"Sound advice, " Kim murmured. "I think I'll just settle for checking my email tonight. Nothing more."

"What, you won't sit up with me until 2:30 in the morning?" Nat joked, pulling off her combat boots as she took a seat on her own bed. "Got any idea on who's going to be in any of your classes?"

"Not a single one, " Kimberly responded, turning to look at her friend. "Why? Do you?"

Natalie just shrugged, and standing, began tucking her spare clothing into the dressers across the room. "Not really. But I hope that Kurt's in at least one of them."

The telepath exchanged a surprised look with Jess, and grinned, briefly.

"Pages twenty-five and twenty-six will be your homework assignment. Show your work and make sure that you have all problems completed. Class dismissed."

Kimberly groaned as she picked up her books and tucked them in the crook of one arm, briefly rubbing at her forehead with the hand of the other. Her first day wasn't even halfway over with, yet, and she already had to come up with a proposal for a term paper on some sort of trend in history, and complete two full pages of calculus problems. Then again, she reminded herself, she and Jess were in the collegiate classes, which received a heavier workload than the high school ones.

"Kim!"

The girl turned, smiling at Jessica as she emerged from her art class. "Hey, Jess. How was it?"

"Interesting, " Jessica said after a moment. "Our teacher sure has a – unique – concept of the subject."

"Everyone has a different way of viewing things, " Logan said gruffly as he strode out of the classroom. "Remember that." He paused, looking Kim up and down briefly. "One of the new students we brought in, right?"

Kimberly nodded a little. "Yeah. I just kept quiet the whole time, so I wouldn't be surprised if you forgot that I was in there, honestly." She grinned and stuck out her hand. "I'm Kimberly."

"Logan, " he replied, shaking her hand briefly, "also known as Wolverine in some circles."

"Pleasure, " she responded in kind, casting a glance toward the open door behind him. "So you're the art instructor, I take it?"

He nodded. "I have no idea why I got stuck in this position, but all of the good ones were taken." He grimaced a little. "Really, I don't know what Xavier was thinking, giving me a roomful of children to teach …"

Kim suppressed a chuckle with great difficulty. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Logan." She turned to her friend. "C'mon, Jess. Our next class is the one we have with Nat. We don't need to be late!"

By the time the two girls managed to locate Xavier's study, the class had already begun. This was the one class that they instinctively knew would be impossible to sneak in late to, without being detected. After all, with the world's most powerful telepath as your teacher, there was nothing that would escape his notice.

"Mutant and human relations are, in fact, intertwined, " Xavier was saying as the door to his classroom swung open, "and that is one of the most important lessons that I want to impress upon each of you. You can't affect one without in some way affecting the other." He glanced up, briefly meeting the guilty gazes of two students with a small smile. "Good morning, Kimberly, Jessica. I'm glad that you two could join us."

"We got lost, Professor, " Kim explained quickly as she moved to take a seat with Jess, next to Natalie.

"Rather understandable, " he nodded, then resumed addressing the class at large. "During this class, we will cover many different subjects and gain different perspectives on each of them through studies in literature and current events that could potentially be altered or affected by mutants. We will also bring up many ethical questions, and, more importantly, discuss the answers to them."

"How'd you guys get lost?" Natalie whispered, glancing momentarily at her friends.

"Well, you try finding your way here from Logan's classroom, " Kim retorted, shaking her head. "It's on the other side of the building, practically!"

"How'd you make it here without making a wrong turn, anyway?" Jess wondered.

Nat's expression turned smug. "Oh, I had someone show me the way." She leaned briefly toward them. "Kurt's in my trigonometry class. He walked with me to the room to make sure that I'd make it on time."

Kimberly raised an eyebrow. "Really?" Her smile turned mischievous. "I think someone likes someone a bit, hmm?"

Jess snickered softly under her breath as Natalie turned away, muttering furiously under her breath.

" … of Ernest Hemingway, " Professor Xavier finished, then finally turned his gaze onto the three newest students. Almost in perfect unison, the rest of the class did, too. _I would appreciate it if you saved your conversation for _after _my class, _he reprimanded, then said aloud, "Now, if you'll all pick up the copy of the book in front of you and turn to page one-hundred and nine, we're going to read about a clean, well-lighted place."

The rest of the class progressed smoothly, and Kim found herself enjoying it a great deal more than her first two classes of the day. Having studied Ernest Hemingway roughly two years previously, the motifs and allegories were not lost on her.

"The apprentice is the unlearned, as of yet untrained. He has not learned the ways of the 'code', and therefore must learn from the examples of the exemplars around him, " Xavier said, shutting his book. "The exemplars already live by the 'code', and by imparting it upon their apprentices, create a cycle, as Hemingway wants us to notice." He paused, glancing briefly out over the class. Nearly all were still paying attention. "Now, since all of you in this particular class are somewhat new to this school – some, newer than most – I must ask you to think about what we have covered in today's lesson. Can any of you see the beginnings of a connection between what we have discussed, and our lives?"

"A clean, well-lighted place is a safe place, " Jessica began, slowly, "and this school is a safe place for mutants, like us … so this mansion is a clean, well-lighted place with exemplars and apprentices in it?"

"We are the apprentices, " Kimberly replied, quietly. "The code that we must learn to live by will show us how to live peacefully with the rest of humanity as educated, powerful individuals. You and the other X-Men are the exemplars who will impart your knowledge of how to do so upon us."

"Ah, yes. Very good, both of you, " the professor nodded, pale gaze shifting from one thoughtful expression to the next. "That will be all for today."

* * *

**A/N: **I actually have this story written up to the eighth chapter thus far, so if you're interested in seeing more, click that little button that will let you review. :) 


	4. The Glow and the Glare

**++Chapter IV: The Glow and the Glare++**

"_There are two kinds of light. The glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures."_

– _James Thurber_

After the first couple of days, life at the Xavier mansion became second nature for Jessica, Kimberly, and Natalie. They began to learn their way around better. They enjoyed meeting some of the other students, and began to make new friends. And they very quickly learned that the Danger Room was not a place to trifle with.

As Kitty Pryde phased through the Sentinel, the robot began to emit sparks, and fell, twitching, onto the ground. Heavily. "One down, " she called, trying to catch her breath.

"Okay, their numbers are limited!" Scott shouted, and blasted toward one that had come too close for comfort with his optic lasers. "Kim, coordinate the next attack! Remember, they can hear us as well as see us!"

Kimberly closed her eyes briefly and concentrated. _Okay, everyone. Nat, you and Kitty should go for the next closest one. Keep your shadows around you so that it doesn't see you. Once that one is short-circuited, Colossus, hold the last one off while I direct energy into its wires and defuse it. Then – _

"_Mutants detected. Mutants detected_." Both of the remaining Sentinels charged directly for the small class gathered together, and as screams resounded through the landscape, it all vanished, abruptly.

"_Session terminated, _" the computer said, politely.

"Kimberly, you are still being way too verbose!" Scott admonished. "I told you yesterday to keep orders down to a few words. In a real battle situation, you won't have time to communicate that much to everyone. Say what you need to say in as few words as possible, and make sure that everyone _keeps moving_." He paused to wipe his brow. "Did everyone hear her today?"

As choruses of "Yes" went through the class, Scott's gaze remained trained on the young telepath. "Good. You're lucky that your week as team leader ends today. Don't forget about all of your teammates. You failed to mention Jessica in that large spiel you were busy thinking out." He paused, watching as the girl's posture slackened. "Natalie, I want you to take over for one week, starting tomorrow, " he ordered, glancing briefly at his watch. "Dismissed!"

"Kim? You alright?" Jessica asked tentatively, reaching out to touch her friend lightly on her shoulder.

"I – yeah, I'll live, " she muttered in response, rubbing at her forehead for a moment. "I've never taken public humiliation well. You know that."

"That wasn't exactly humiliation, " her friend pointed out, gently. "That was criticism. Constructive criticism. I don't blame you for leaving me out, either, " she added, quickly, as Kim turned to look at her. "I mean, I'm still not sure what my powers even _are_, so how can I be of help in a battle situation?"

"At least you'll most likely have something that can help you out in a battle, " Kim muttered, almost bitterly. "There's not much that I can do with telepathy, besides talking to others in their heads and apparently, probing their minds. How is _that_ helpful in battle?"

Jessica was quiet for a moment as they walked up the eerily silent, futuristic hallway. "Well, look at it this way, " she said at last. "Maybe we'll fight someone who doesn't know that you're a telepath, and you can just yank their strategy right out of their heads to give us the advantage."

"I doubt that it'll be that easy, " Kim replied, with a weary smile. She paused as they drew near the elevator. "You go on, Jess. I'll catch up with you later."

Jess's hazel eyes widened for a moment. "Well, okay, Kim, " she said at last. "Just – be careful, okay? You know we're not supposed to be down here unless we're escorted by one of the X-Men."

"I have a lesson to get to, " her friend explained, gesturing further down the hall. "Lab, " she added, hastily. "Practical lab for organic chemistry."

"Oh, alright. See you at dinner, then."

Kimberly watched the elevator close around Jess, and then sighed, trudging down the hall past the infirmary, past the laboratory, stopping only when she stood outside of the doors leading to Cerebro. They opened, and the girl walked inside, staring around her in awe.

She had entered an immense chamber, a globe-shaped dome that extended an indeterminable distance in all directions. The pathway leading to the central controls that she stood on was narrow, providing just enough room for a wheelchair to go through it without having to make cumbersome turns or adjustments.

"Stand very still, " Professor Xavier said softly from his seat at the controls. The doors closed behind them, and he turned his chair, staring intently at the girl for a long moment. "Today, I'm going to start teaching you about Cerebro. It's a device that I believe you can eventually acquire enough control to use. I will not deny that it will be difficult, but even if you never get to use it, I want you to at least know how it works."

She nodded once, indicating that she understood, and carefully slid her bag off of her shoulder.

"The brainwaves of mutants and humans are very distinct, " he continued, watching her closely. "They will feel different to you, as I'm sure you've already begun to notice. Cerebro amplifies this difference, and will show you all of the mutants or humans on the planet, with the command of a single thought." He paused, closing his eyes briefly. The lines in his expression shifted as he grasped a wisp of thought – Scott, admonishing her in the Danger Room – a bit of guilt, humiliation, and some inadequacy.

"I'm sorry, Professor, " Kim said quietly. "I – had a harder time in the Danger Room today than I've had all week as the team leader in the scenario. I screwed up on a lot of things, and well …"

"And you're not used to that, " he finished for her, as he opened his eyes. "Scott trains everyone to the best of his ability. Some are born to be field leaders, and others function better as a member of the team under that leadership." As she opened her mouth to speak again, he added, "It does not make you a follower, or any less of a person than a competent field leader."

"But I feel so useless, in there, sometimes, " she admitted, lifting her gaze to meet his. "I can't _do_ anything except _talk_ to the others. Maybe I could sense the strategies of people that we were actually up against if they were real people, and not just mechanical, robotic machines."

"I understand your frustration, " Xavier responded, "and without having telekinetic skills to accompany your telepathy, it does make it difficult to be on the offensive in those situations."

Kimberly sighed. "Very difficult, " she agreed quietly.

"I'm going to show you how Cerebro operates, " he said after a moment, turning back to the controls. As he lifted the helmet onto his head, he added, "Don't move, and stay close."

The room suddenly exploded into a million points of light, and with a soft hum, began to display rough shapes of land masses, all containing innumerable dots of bright, white light. They resembled countless constellations, all crowded together onto a depiction of the surface of the world.

"Through Cerebro, I am connected to all of the people on the planet, and they, to me, " the professor murmured, almost reverently. "These white lights are the humans." As the globe rotated around them, the lights suddenly shifted, and turned red. "And these, are the mutants. Cerebro does not distinguish between mutants whose powers remain dormant, or mutants whose powers have already manifested."

Taking a step closer to Xavier's chair, the girl gazed upon the lights incredulously. "There are so many, " she said at last, softly. She frowned a little, a crease forming in her brow as something occurred to her. "Is this how you found me, and my friends?"

He nodded. "Yes. Cerebro requires a degree of control to use, especially when you're attempting to pinpoint one person in particular. Concentrate too hard, and you could kill them."

She blanched, visibly.

* * *

"Everything at the Xavier School appears to be proceeding as normal, " a woman's voice crackled through the two-way radio, echoing into the dark, metallic cavern, "but I have reason to believe that he's acquired three new students within the past two weeks."

Erik Lehnsherr turned his gaze from his desk to his window, gazing out to sea with eyes not much darker than the silvery moon above for a long, silent moment. "Untrained, I take it."

"They certainly seem to be, although we can't count on them to remain that way for long."

"No, " he agreed. "We can't." He turned back to the radio, a thoughtful expression stealing over his visage. "Do you have any idea what their powers are?"

"I've learned that the girl they call Natalie can control shadows and turn them into weapons that cause physical harm. I'm not sure of the other two."

"Shadows, " he repeated, the corners of his mouth twitching briefly. "That could prove to be – useful. Keep an eye on all three of them, and let me know how their training appears to be progressing. Hopefully, they will not be ready to fight with the others by the time our plans come to fruition."

"I'll do what I can, " the woman replied, confidently.

As she closed the transmission, Magneto stepped away from his window, striding toward the door of his study with a small, growing smile. "I know you will, my dear, " he murmured softly.

A thousand thoughts swirled through his mind, all at once, as he headed toward his chambers. If his old friend had indeed acquired three new recruits, how powerful were they? Would they be strong enough to fight with the fully-fledged X-Men against him and the rest of the Brotherhood when he made his plans known to the rest of the world?

Rolling up his sleeves as he removed his heavy cape and hung it upon the wall, he turned his attention to the television in his living area, and, seating himself upon his couch, floated his remote toward him with a lazy wave of one hand.

"In other news, " the TV blared as he flicked it on, "Senator Fulwood's cautionary view against mutants is clearly gaining support in the public. People everywhere are blaming mishaps on mutants. A teacher at Cadmium Junior High is currently reported as missing after accidentally shooting bolts of electricity at one of her students. Parents are outraged and demanding mutant identification and interrogation of all current school officials …"

"You see, Charles?" he murmured, to himself. "They're not going to accept us. Not now, not with that Senator making his speeches and gathering support from the rest of them. They're going to create laws and try to legally bind us, to prevent us from using our powers. And that's why we must stop them, now. Before it's too late."

He glanced down at his hands, silently intertwined and resting upon his lap. The group that he had sent to scout out the Space Needle in Washington had returned with satisfactory reports of the building's structure. It was definitely something that he could work with – something that he could use to solve the problems of the _homo sapiens_. After all, if they were rendered unable to even think, mutants certainly wouldn't be a concern to them, would they? He closed his eyes, briefly. He knew the age-old arguments; he and Charles Xavier had hashed and re-hashed them, over and over again. His determination to preserve the existence of mutants had led him to often take destructive courses of action against the rest of humanity. But to him, they were all nothing. He and his fellow mutants were the evolved people; _homo sapiens_ had evolved into _homo superior_, and it was time to speed up the process of natural selection. Humans were evolving far too slowly. If they wanted to turn this into a war of "survival of the fittest, " then he would certainly give them the war that they were asking for – and more. Survival of the fittest, after all, dictated that the stronger species would prevail, and that the weaker would eventually die out, ceasing to exist. It was inevitable for the human race. Why prolong it?

His pale gaze traveled to his arm, pausing upon the faded numbers still branded into his skin. They would always be there. They would always remind him of the horrors of mankind and what the majority could do to a minority. What the actions of one man could do to a minority. Nothing would ever erase that knowledge. It was indelibly branded into his mind and his very existence. Even Charles would not be able to fully erase everything, not that he had ever tried. A bitter smile briefly graced his visage as he switched off the television. He had to wonder just what his old friend would say when he discovered what he was about to do – or, perhaps, if he got lucky, what he had done.

* * *

**A/N: **I can only wish that I owned the X-Men. Chapter 9 is WIP; I'm holding the next few chapters ransom for a few reviews. ;) 


	5. Doubly Daring

**A/N: **I know it's taken me well over a year to update this again, but after writing sporadically when school allowed, I've finally completed this fanfiction. I'll be posting the rest of the chapters a few days apart from each other to give you guys time to read and review. Enjoy!

**++Chapter V: Doubly Daring++**

"_To do anything truly worth doing, I must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in with gusto and scramble through as well as I can."_

_- Og Mandino_

Natalie had never enjoyed a math class. It wasn't a subject that she was particularly adept at, and quite frankly, it was rather boring. She didn't see the point of learning how to calculate the distance of a line on a graph, or how to tell whether that same line was actually possible to draw or not. Most people in the class seemed to be cruising along just fine, which usually caused a bit of frustration on the girl's end. Oddly enough, this was an issue that her best friends also had – all three were highly intelligent, but something about mathematics just wasn't compatible with their brains. She grinned a little as she thought of how all three of them had complained about their math classes just the other night before falling asleep. Kim had called walking into math class the "beginning of a fatal syntax error." It certainly felt taxing on the brain.

"Hey, Nat, did you finish the homework from last night?"

She turned around as someone tapped her on the shoulder, and couldn't help it as her grin widened slightly. If there was one good thing about her math class at Xavier's School, it was blue, golden-eyed, and German. And his name was Kurt. "Uh, yeah, " she replied automatically, gesturing toward her notebook. "Why, did you want to compare answers or something?"

Kurt Wagner grinned, too, and sat next to her, tail swishing slowly. "I did, " he replied, flipping open her notebook expertly with one hand. "You usually get all of the answers on the homework right."

Natalie's gaze shifted slightly. "Well, uh, not really, " she admitted, picking briefly at her pencil's eraser. "I'm not very good at math. That's why I zone out so much during class." Or at least, it was one of the reasons. Sensing his eyes on her, she lifted her dark ones to meet his liquid, yellow gaze.

"You don't – understand the material?" he asked, after a moment, confused. "Then how do you do the homework?"

Her expression briefly turned a trifle guilty. "My friend helps me out, " she muttered. "It's nice of her and all that, but I still don't get it. I've never enjoyed it very much."

"But math can be fun, " Kurt insisted, gently, and Nat found herself reflecting momentarily on how remarkably encouraging his voice could sound, even with his harsh, Germanic accent. "I can work with you after class, if you'd like. I'd be more than happy to tutor you, sometime."

Her expression brightened. "Really?"

He nodded, smiling a little. "Really."

She was barely aware of Dr. McCoy striding into the room to begin the lesson, and remained in a sort of daze throughout class. Despite her vague expression, she was the first person to leave the classroom, and ran smack into someone on her way out of the door.

"Whoa, you might want to watch where you're going, " Rogue said, somewhat startled. "You alright, Natalie?"

Nat blinked, staring at the Southern girl for a long moment. "Huh? Oh. Yes, I'm – I'm fine."

"Well, if you're sure, " the other replied, dubiously. "Look, I got to get on to my next class, but it was nice running into you, I suppose." She grinned a little and continued down the hall, leaving Natalie to make her way toward her next class.

"Hey, Natalie, did you want to get together after dinner tonight?"

She turned a little too eagerly toward the speaker. "Oh, sure, Kurt. Where should I meet you after I finish eating?"

"How about the library?" Kurt suggested. "It's usually nice and quiet in there, unless you have a better idea."

"Oh, no, the library's fine, " she responded, smiling. "So I'll uh, see you after dinner, then."

"Pssst, Nat. Nat!"

The girl turned abruptly toward the sound of her name, gazing blankly back at a concerned looking Kimberly. "You're interrupting the class, Kim, " she whispered, gesturing toward the front of the classroom, where Professor Xavier was explaining the finer points of a video concerning the ethical issue of abortions, and prompting the class to explain how the action would affect mutants, and vice versa.

Kim grimaced, rubbing at her forehead. "Yeah, well, _you_ are interrupting my train of thought. Your mind's absolutely absent-minded today." She peered more closely at her friend. "Did you brain stay at the dining room table during lunch?"

Natalie frowned a little. "Kim, you didn't read my mind without my permission, did you?" she asked, slowly.

Kimberly shook her head, quickly. "No, it's just that you're – broadcasting. You're completely on cloud nine, or an equivalent of it." Her expression melted into a grin that bordered on a smirk. _So, after dinner, huh?_

_Shut. Up._

_If I have to ask you to hold your conversations until after my class again, _Professor Xavier broke into their thoughts, _then I will have little choice save to ask you both to serve detentions._

_We're sorry, Professor,_ Kim replied, hastily. _It won't happen again. Really._

_See that it doesn't._

* * *

Later on that night, Natalie made her way into the library, math notebook in hand. She was a bit early, as Kurt hadn't quite finished eating, yet, and took that opportunity to wander closer to the bookshelves. Glancing over the titles, her nose wrinkled a little. Even at first glance, none of them seemed interesting to her. Her gaze fell over The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, and the corners of her mouth quirked upward. Now there was something that Kim might enjoy reading, if the title were anything to judge by.

Kurt teleported into the library, bright eyes alight with mischievous excitement. "Natalie, some of the other students are planning to take a vehicle out for a little ride, tonight, " he grinned. "They were going to ask you if you wanted to come along, but you left the table so quickly."

Nat's eyes narrowed slightly. "Did they really, or did they merely invite you and you passed the message along?"

The German's expression shifted a little, turning a trifle uncomfortable. "Well, uh, does it matter which one?" he replied, sheepishly.

A grin split across her face. "Oh, yes, " she said firmly, tossing her math notebook onto a table. "It most certainly does." She cast a measuring glance toward the hallway. "Teleport us out to the garage when everyone gets ready to go. I've got an idea."

Kurt's tail swished slowly from side to side. "What did you have in mind?"

Her expression turned smug. "A little contest between fellow mutant students."

His eyes widened, and then he grinned widely, showing his fangs. "I will see when the others are planning on going, " he responded, vanishing into a puff of swirling smoke.

Several minutes later, he reappeared, casting a quick glance toward the hallway. "Bobby, Rogue, and Jubilee are taking one of the cars – I think they said they were taking Scott's, actually, " he informed her.

Nat actually chuckled quietly. "Good. Get us to the garage. We're going to give them a run for their money."

"We're taking a different car?" he questioned, as he came closer to her.

"Oh, no, Kurt, " she smirked, wrapping her arms about him as they prepared to teleport. "We're going to take something much, much better than a car."

BAMF!

They arrived in the garage just in time to see Scott's shiny blue vehicle roaring off into the night. Natalie's gaze immediately went toward the far corner of the garage, settling on a shiny, black motorcycle.

"But they took the best car, " Kurt pointed out, turning to look in the direction of Nat's gaze. "And -- " His voice trailed off as he saw that same, smug grin beginning to form over the girl's excited visage. "You can't be serious."

"Watch me, " Nat replied, tossing him a helmet as she fastened one about her head. "Ever ridden on a motorbike?"

"_Nein_, " he answered, clambering awkwardly onto the back of the bike. He raised his eyebrows as she hopped onto the front seat and started the ignition. As the bike roared to life, he added, "Have you?"

"Nope, " Nat replied, revving the engine.

Kurt's eyes widened. "You mean you don't know how to drive one of these things?"

Natalie shrugged, reaching down to release the brake on the bike. "How hard can it be?"

As the motorcycle zoomed off down the mansion's incredibly long driveway, she was forced to swerve hard to avoid a squirrel running across her path, and turned on the headlights as they shot out of the gate. Now, if they could just catch up with the crew that took Cyclops's car, they'd all have a good time. She'd make sure of it.

Forced to duck to the side as a motorcycle flew past her, Jessica watched its progress from the shadowed bench she had been forced to throw herself toward, and frowned a little. It looked as though Kurt were one of the passengers on that motorbike – but didn't it belong to Scott Summers? And if she hadn't known better, she would have sworn up and down that the driver looked – familiar. "It couldn't have been Nat, " she muttered to herself, shaking her head. "You're being silly again."

"Silly?" a squeaky little voice retorted. "Excuse me, human, _you're_ the one being silly! This is a dangerous, dangerous time to be outside!"

Startled, the girl glanced around, hazel eyes spotting no one in the immediate area besides a little squirrel chattering by her foot.

"Did you just – say something?" she gasped, staring at it wide-eyed.

"We always try to say things to you, but no, you humans never listen to us!" the squirrel squeaked back at her. If animals could roll their eyes in annoyance, this one certainly would be doing so. "The person driving that thing doesn't own it, " it added, quickly. "Too rough and uncertain of how to make it move than its owner – and _he_ normally wears these really bright things on his face that glint red in the sun or moonlight."

Jess's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I think I know who that other driver is, and if I'm right, she's going to be in _so_ much trouble." She slid off of the bench and crouched down to look the little squirrel in the eye as best she could. "Look, uh, not all humans are trying to be particularly rude or anything. Most of them don't understand animals. Most of them can't understand what you're saying when you try to talk to them."

"That would explain why they stare at me strangely every time I try to communicate with them, " the furry creature groused. "Well, it was absolutely wonderful meeting someone who can actually understand me. What's your name?"

"Jessica, " she replied, smiling at the squirrel. She decided after a moment that judging by its constantly alert posture and grumpy voice that it could be a male squirrel. Maybe. "What's yours?"

"Grayson the Sixteenth, " he returned, seriously, "but maybe you'd better find a different handle to call me by. There are tons of Grayson squirrels throughout the population around here."

Amusedly, she thought of the first time that she had watched Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Grayson the Sixteenth reminded her awfully of Grumpy, but somehow, she doubted that the squirrel would want to be called _that_. "Would you – mind if I called you Grumpy?" she asked, hesitantly. "No offense intended, really."

"Most of my friends would say that it's a fitting name, " Grayson the Sixteenth grumbled. "But if you must – you may. If you mention me to anyone else – I am still Grayson the Sixteenth, son of Grayson the Seventh and champion tree trunk spelunker."

She giggled a little as she stood, brushing leaves from her clothing. "I'll try to remember that, Grayson the Sixteenth. It was nice meeting you. Perhaps I'll see you around, sometime."

As Grumpy scampered off into the growing darkness, Jess slowly began to walk back into the mansion, reflecting over her conversation with the little guy. She had always felt that she understood animals, and empathized strongly with them whenever they were hurt, frightened, or alone. For the first time in her life, she had actually talked with one – and in that moment, she felt relatively certain that she knew what her mutation enabled her to do.

Kimberly rushed up to her as she entered the entrance hall, concern evident on her swarthy visage. "Jess, have you seen Nat? I've been looking all over for her – but I can't find her or Kurt. Did she mention going off to do anything after studying with him in the library?"

Jessica shook her head. "No, " she replied, "but I'm pretty sure that I know where she is."

"Where?"

Just as she opened her mouth to reply, Scott strode into the hallway with a stormy expression. "Have you seen Logan?" he demanded.

The two friends exchanged glances. "No, " Kim replied for them both. "Is something wrong, Mr. Summers?"

"This is the last time that I'm ever letting him use my stuff, " Cyclops swore, pacing the length of the hall angrily. "If he's done something to both of them, I swear I'll -- "

"Look, if you have a problem, Scott, you shouldn't be taking it out on the students, " Logan interrupted as he came in from the kitchen, cold soda in hand.

Scott whirled to face him, brow drawn into a heavy scowl. "Look, Logan, " he retorted in a similar tone, "just because I let you use my bike once or twice in the past doesn't mean that you have the right to just take it from right under my nose without my permission, and then hide it somewhere – and that goes for my car, too!"

Logan had the good grace to look confused. "What are you talking about?"

"My car and bike are gone!" Scott raged. "I know you took them and did something with them!"

_This wouldn't have anything to do with Nat's mysterious whereabouts, Jess, would it? _

Jessica grimaced a little. _Well, yeah. She and Kurt zoomed down the driveway a while ago on his motorcycle. _

There was a long pause. And then: _They are _so_ screwed._

"Don't look at me, Scott, " Wolverine replied, shrugging. "If your car and bike aren't around here, then someone else has taken them for the night. I'm standing right here, and unless you're suggesting that I'm actually Mystique and that the _real_ Logan is out there on your bike while managing to drive a car at the same time …"

"What's going on out here?" Professor Xavier inquired, wheeling in from the hallway branching off to his study. "Is there a problem, Scott?"

"His car and motorcycle are missing, " Logan explained, ignoring Scott's dark glare. "Someone's taken them."

"Some people, more like, " Scott muttered, "seeing as it'd be highly difficult for someone to drive both a motorcycle and a car simultaneously."

Kim shifted slightly, toeing at one of the seams in the wooden floor. _Should we tell them? _

_Nat will get in trouble, _Jess replied, eyes rounding slightly. _But I am worried about her. Does she even know how to drive a motorcycle?_

_I have no idea, _Kim responded, unaware that Xavier's gaze had shifted onto them. _But I'm sure that she figured it out – you saw her zoom past, after all. She wouldn't have been able to do that if she hadn't figured out how to operate it, right?_

_True. Nat's pretty clever with figuring out things like that – especially if it works perfectly with one of her schemes. _

_Still, Jess, I think we ought to tell them. What if something happens to her? _

_You already have, _another voice responded, eliciting a gasp from Jessica and a startled look from Kim.

"Scott, why don't you go into the kitchen and get a glass of water? When you've cooled off sufficiently, I'll be able to tell you who took your car and your motorcycle, " Xavier suggested, shifting his gaze onto his field leader.

"I – right, sorry, Professor, " Cyclops muttered, and headed into the kitchen.

"Professor, we had nothing to do with it, " Kimberly said at once, as soon as Scott had left the foyer. "But Jessica saw Nat zoom down the driveway on a motorcycle with Kurt in tow, and, well, we're a little worried about her."

"She's alright, for the time being, " he responded, causing Jess to exhale in relief. "However, I'm not sure that she will be once she and her friends return. They're going to have their bit of fun – but they will have to pay the consequences."

* * *

Consequences were the last thing on Natalie or Kurt's mind as they zoomed down the road. One was too busy enjoying the thrill of driving a motorcycle, and the other was hanging on for dear life, and loving every minute of it. Both kept their eyes peeled for the other rogue vehicle on the road as they put more distance between themselves and the mansion.

"This is great fun, Nat!" Kurt exclaimed, tail happily swinging freely behind him. "We should do this more often!"

"Too bad one of us doesn't own this bike!" Nat called back, grinning widely. "Man, I'd give a lot to own something like this!"

Twenty minutes later, the girl's eyes narrowed predatorily as the motorcycle's headlight finally landed on something blue and shiny. The shadows around them suddenly swept toward Scott's car, forming into a shapeless sort of phantom that drifted toward its windshield. Hearing the tires squeal as the driver was forced to slam on the brakes, Natalie's grin widened a bit more as she and Kurt easily drove up alongside the car, and idled momentarily next to it. "What's the matter?" she called as the driver rolled down his window. "Run into something on the road?"

Bobby Drake peered back at her, and shrugged. "No, we just felt like stopping, " he replied, raising an eyebrow as he noticed Kurt on the back of the motorcycle. "So you guys took the bike, huh? Clever, " he complimented, after a moment.

"Better choice than riding in this thing, " Pyro muttered, gesturing toward the CD player and the dashboard from the backseat. "Cyclops listens to N'SYNC and the Backstreet Boys." He made a face. "Least your ride doesn't have to deal with _that_."

"We'd ask you if you'd like to join us, " Jubilee said softly from the back, "but I'm afraid we don't have anymore room in this car."

"We wouldn't join you anyway, " Natalie replied, raising an eyebrow smugly. "Our ride is far superior to _yours_."

John Allerdyce's eyes widened. "Is that a challenge, Shade?" he asked, flicking his lighter case open, and then shutting it.

"Consider it one, " she replied, smirking a little. "Or are you too afraid to have a little – contest?"

Inwardly, Bobby groaned. Nothing really good could come of this, although he was relatively sure that they would already be in enough trouble, as it was, if they were caught sneaking back into the mansion around midnight. "What are you proposing?" he asked, at last.

"She's asking us to race, Bobby, " Rogue answered, giving him a faintly surprised look.

"Twenty miles from here is a new apartment complex construction site, " Pyro interrupted. "We'll race you there. Without powers."

Kurt blinked, staring from the car back to Natalie through his visor.

"You're on, " Nat replied, flipping the visor back over her helmet, and gunning the engine. "Let's go."

With a roar, the two vehicles simultaneously shot back onto the road, battling for the lead position between the two lanes. Clinging tightly to Nat, Kurt noticed, after about ten minutes, that the motorbike was beginning to fall behind the car. Soon, they were far enough behind to just make out a shiny flash of blue at the edge of the bike's headlight. "Uh, Nat?" he questioned. "They're pretty far ahead – I mean, it doesn't look like we have much of a chance of catching up with them, from this vantage point."

Natalie snickered under her breath as their opponents began to lose them. "Oh, don't worry, Kurt. We'll catch up with them just when they least expect it." She momentarily glanced down at a small, silver switch located near the ignition, and grinned.

"They fell behind rather easily, " John noted, craning his neck to peer out of the back window of Scott's car. "It almost looks like they're not even trying. If I didn't know that Nat would never give in on something like this … I'd almost be willing to bet that she _is_."

Jubilee sighed and rolled her eyes a little. "Give it a rest, Pyro, why don't you? She challenged us to a race, so she's racing us. Maybe their bike is starting to run out of gas or something."

"I doubt it, " Bobby chimed in, keeping his eyes wisely on the road. "Cyclops loves both of these vehicles. He always keeps them in tip-top shape."

Occasionally, Natalie and Kurt would gain on the other mutants, and just as quickly as they would, the car would once again pull ahead. However, as the vehicles began to eat up the final five miles, Nat's dark eyes narrowed in anticipation. It was time to stop playing games. "Think you've won?" she muttered, pressing the switch near the ignition. The turbo accelerator activated with three, loud blasts, and suddenly, the motorcycle was shooting forward at a tremendous speed, going so quickly that its passengers could feel G-forces beginning to pull at their skin.

John rubbed his eyes, incredulously. A huge blur was flying toward them – and mere moments later, passed them. "What the hell was that?" he demanded.

"Hey guys, I think we lost them, " Jubilee said suddenly. "I don't see them behind us, anymore."

Whoops rang through the car as they began to pull triumphantly into the construction site. Their joy was short-lived, however; standing there waiting for them were Kurt, Natalie, and the bike.

"You cheated!" Pyro blurted, after they had lifted their jaws off of the ground. "There's no way you could have gotten here that quickly without teleporting!"

"Like Kurt would teleport a huge, heavy bike, " Natalie replied sarcastically.

"So how exactly _did_ you beat us here?" Bobby asked,

"Nat found this little button, " Kurt volunteered with a grin. "The motorcycle has a turbo accelerator built into it."

The others groaned good-naturedly, and then began to laugh a little.

"If we had known that you had that, " Bobby managed, "I don't think we would have accepted your challenge."

"Chicken, " Nat grinned, adding a moment later, "but probably a wise decision."

"Speaking of wise decisions, " Rogue piped up, "Taking joyrides tonight probably wasn't one of them. We should probably head back before anyone notices that we're gone."

Agreeing that this was a sound idea, everyone drove back to the mansion in a much friendlier mood. They quietly stashed the vehicles back where they found them, unaware in the darkness that both car and motorcycle were considerably coated in dust, dirt, and a few leaves, signifying recent use.

"Let's sneak back in through here, " Bobby whispered, and, following his lead, everyone quietly made their way into the mansion through the garage, creeping down hallways toward the main staircase.

Just when they thought that they were home free, a voice broke into all of their thoughts, simultaneously. _Welcome back home, new recruits. I hope you all enjoyed yourselves. Scott's got some tasks lined up for you bright and early in the morning. For now, get some sleep – and please, do not attempt something like this ever again._

As one, the six offenders turned to glance at each other, each displaying an identical, disgruntled and resigned expression, but Nat eloquently summed up their emotions best.

"Damn it. He's going to give us all hell."


	6. Diligence

**++Chapter VI: Diligence++**

"_Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance." – Samuel Johnson_

Kimberly frowned a little as she crammed her papers back into her notebook and high-tailed it out of math class, waiting impatiently outside of the door to Logan's classroom as the art lesson drew to its end.

"And so, " she heard Logan say as the door opened, "draw an improvement on my stick figure depiction of the Canadian wilderness for your homework tonight." There was an awkward silence. "Class dismissed." Striding out of his classroom, he propped the door open, holding it as his class filed out.

"Interesting class, Jess?" Kim prompted as her friend finally came out of the room, expression rather disgruntled.

"That'd be a nice term for it, " Jessica groused. "How did he ever become the art teacher? He knows _nothing_ about art!"

Kim did her best to hide a smile. "I'm sure they'll find a better teacher in the future." She paused. "Have you seen Nat at all yet, this morning?"

Jess shook her head. "She wasn't at breakfast. And she was already gone when I woke up this morning." She frowned a little. "Her uniform was gone, too, but I don't know why she'd be training this early in the morning."

Kim's brow furrowed slightly, and the telepath sighed. "Consequences, " she muttered aloud, turning her dark gaze onto Jessica. "They're paying the price for taking Cyclops's motorcycle and car."

"Kurt and Natalie?"

Kimberly gave her a wry smile. "Bobby, Rogue, Jubilee, and Pyro commandeered his car."

In the Danger Room, Natalie cursed avidly as she was forced to duck and roll across the burning ground to avoid the rampaging Sentinel, creating a solid block of shadow just ahead of her in an attempt to impede its progress. She, Kurt, and the others were tiring quickly, especially after being out a little past midnight, and Scott was showing them no mercy in their morning training session.

"It's heading back this way!" Kurt shouted, teleporting directly in front of her. "You're supposed to be field leader in here this week during our _regular_ sessions, too." He grimaced momentarily. "I can't believe we still have those to go through, this week. Any ideas on how to counter this thing so that he'll finally let us off?"

"Get Jubilee, " Nat responded, "and bring her over here." Her weary expression quickly became determined. "I have an idea."

Kurt vanished, reappearing scant seconds later with Jubilee in tow.

Eyes narrowed in concentration, Natalie pulled their shadows around her, constructing a solid platform, which moved to hover near Jubilee. "Get on it, " she ordered. "I'm going to carry you up to the main panel of the Sentinel. Shoot a few explosions directly into it – its main weak point – and then it should be over with. I'll get you back down here."

Jubilee's eyes widened momentarily. "You can do that?"

"Just go!" Nat barked.

She complied, and was soon gliding effortlessly toward the Sentinel. The minute its gaze turned onto her, she was ready. Sparks flew forth from Jubilee's hands, shooting straight through the center of the Sentinel and burning through enough of its wires to begin short-circuiting the machine.

"_Simulation complete_, " the mechanical voice informed them. Around them, the landscape shifted, the still-crackling form of the Sentinel fading into a holographic projection, and then dissipating completely. The platform with Jubilee lowered back down to the floor, flattening itself back into a simple, two-dimensional shadow.

"Efficient job handling the Sentinel, " Scott said at last, begrudgingly. "Good leadership, Natalie. You're all dismissed to change out of your uniforms and clean up. Meet me in the garage after lunch. You're going to fulfill more of your punishment by cleaning my car and motorcycle."

"So much for hoping for a nice, normal rest of the day, " Rogue sighed as the tired teenagers finally exited the Danger Room. "I think we have just enough time to change out of these uniforms before lunch."

"Knowing Cyclops and his punishments, he'll probably keep us out there until dinner scrubbing at his car and bike, " Bobby groaned in resignation. "And he won't just take a spray of water and soap slapped on it, either."

"If he lets us use our powers while we clean, I can dry it off fast, " John murmured, flicking his lighter open briefly to stare at the flame. "_Real_ fast."

"Hey, Pyro, relax. He'll probably make sure that we end up cleaning them without our powers, " Bobby responded, as the group trouped into the elevator and began rising toward the ground-level of the mansion. "You know Cyclops."

Natalie exchanged a glance with Kurt as they emerged near the main staircase and began ascending it, briefly glancing down toward the entrance hall. Perhaps taking the motorcycle and following the other four teenagers hadn't been the most prudent thing to do, but she knew, as Kurt grinned at her, that she wouldn't have traded that crazy ride for anything else in the world. She would do it again in a heartbeat, especially if Kurt were along for the ride.

_So you survived the Danger Room?_

Nat grimaced a little as her friend's voice momentarily filled her mind. _Yeah, we all managed to, _she returned, somewhat wearily. _Don't wait for me at lunch. As soon as we get done eating, we're heading to the garage to clean the car and bike._

There was a brief pause. _I'm sorry, Nat. That's definitely not cool, but the Professor _did_ say that there would be consequences._

_Gee, really? I had no idea, _she quipped back, wryly. _I'll catch up with you guys later on tonight. _

This time, the pause was definitely longer, and she thought she felt a brief shift in the back of her mind, as though something – or someone – had just left it. As she reached their shared room, Natalie wasn't terribly surprised to find it empty; Kim and Jess were still in classes, after all. Sighing, she made her way toward her dresser and began rummaging about for a fresh change of clothes. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Cleaning Scott's car and motorcycle ended up turning into a monumental task that took nearly an entire week to complete. Every single afternoon, Nat, Kurt, and the other four teenagers headed to the garage and scrubbed the surfaces of the vehicles squeaky clean. They hammered out dents on the fender of his car. They polished the chrome accents on the bike. And every single evening, when they were through, the owner of those vehicles would inspect their progress, and promptly find something else that they missed. "You can fix this tomorrow, " Scott Summers informed them, and after the fifth day, it honestly began to feel like a routine. Natalie couldn't remember a time when she had seen her friends less; the only time the trio had to talk during that period was in the evenings before they all fell asleep, usually exhausted – Kim and Jess, from training, and Natalie, from double-training sessions and vehicle-scrubbing. And so it came to pass that all of them welcomed the end of that week in February, marking the fifth month since they had arrived at the mansion. Scott finally begrudgingly admitted that both car and motorcycle were now squeaky clean and practically as good as new, again, and let the six students off of the hook.

"Think they've learned their lesson?" Storm joked as she watched the six wayward mutants emerge from the garage with triumphant expressions.

Professor Xavier chuckled from behind his desk, wheeling around it to peer beyond the doorway of his office into the hallway. "Do teenagers ever 'learn their lesson', Storm?" he replied, smiling. "I do think that we won't see a repeat performance of their joyrides for at least a few more months."

"That reminds me, Charles, I came to ask you if you'd mind me throwing together a school-wide event, so to speak, " the weather goddess added. "Valentine's Day is next weekend, and I think it would be a good idea for us to throw the students a small party. It would provide them with a good opportunity to loosen up and have a little _legitimate_ fun."

"And it would provide us with the perfect opportunity to nurse more headaches, " Logan commented as he paused in the doorway. "Unless you plan on making this a non-chaperoned event, that is."

"Logan, they're _teenagers_. Do be reasonable. There's no way that we could make something like this a non-chaperoned event. We're going to have to be there to keep an eye on them at all times."

Wolverine didn't look horribly fazed. "Can we take it in shifts?"

"Alright, Storm, you may give them a party, " Xavier said at last, effectively halting the banter flying between the other two mutants.

Ororo Munroe pretended to consider Logan's words for a long moment. "I don't see why not, Logan. And you can take the first one."

Logan stared after her smiling form as she serenely breezed out of the office, and turned toward Xavier. "You wouldn't be able to uh, persuade her to change her mind about this, would you?"

He received a small smile in return. "I'm afraid not, Logan. Besides the ethical issues behind such an act, when Ororo makes her mind up about something, you can safely assume that she'll see it through."

Logan shrugged a little as he stepped back out into the hallway. It was worth a shot.

The Valentine's Day party was all that most of the students chattered about throughout the week that followed. According to the red-and-black flyers that Storm had posted around the mansion, students were permitted to escort or be escorted by one another to the dance, although coming alone certainly wasn't discouraged. However, there were a few students who had at least a couple of reasons to not chatter about the event constantly.

"Whose grand idea was this, anyway?" Natalie griped for the upteenth time, glaring at one of the offensive flyers as she stalked past it on her way to their shared dormitory.

"I'm pretty sure that you can guarantee it wasn't Logan's, " Kim quipped wryly, not far behind her. "I saw him glare at one of the flyers on the wall right across from his classroom. The only person that I've seen give them surlier looks has been – you."

Natalie opened her mouth to reply, but froze as she opened the door to their room. There were two red envelopes just inside the doorway.

"Nat?" Kim prompted, after a moment. "What's up?"

Wordlessly, the other girl picked up the envelopes, and handed them to her friend.

As Kimberly took them, Jessica drew to a halt outside of the doorway, eyeing her roommates amusedly. "Is there a reason we're all just – standing here?"

"It appears as though you two got a bit of mail earlier today, " Kim replied after a moment, handing both of her friends one of the envelopes.

Frowning, Jessica opened hers, pulling out the hand-drawn, illustrated card that lay within. "Dear Jess, " she read aloud, "Your eyes remind me of the Mona Lisa's. I was wondering if you'd like to go to the dance with me on Friday night, but if you don't want to, or already have someone else to go with, have a Happy Valentine's Day, anyway." Although the card wasn't signed, a flush graced the girl's cheeks. "He – he actually asked me, " she murmured.

Nat exchanged a slightly confused glance with Kim. "Who asked you?" she demanded, bewildered, while beginning to regard her envelope with a rather suspicious expression.

"Colossus, " Jess confessed, face promptly reddening further.

Kimberly chuckled quietly. "Good for you, Jess, " she responded with a grin. "You'll have half of the girls in this place rather envious of you. You _are_ going to tell him 'yes,' aren't you?"

"Well, I don't know, " she replied, slowly. "I don't want to go if either of you aren't going. And it would feel really weird if I went with him and you guys just kind of – tagged along …" She paused. "What do you think, Nat?"

Silence answered her.

Raising her eyebrows at Nat's utterly shocked expression, Kim gently tugged the open, heart-shaped card free from her friend's grip, and read: "Fraulein Natalie, if you would agree to accompany me to the dance this weekend, I would be very honored and pleased. Yours respectfully, Kurt Wagner."

"So are you going with him, then?" Jess ventured.

Natalie seemed to snap out of her daze, eyes narrowing slightly. "I don't do Valentine's Day, " she said at last, tonelessly. Something in her expression flickered as she seemed to think something over, and Kimberly could swear that she saw the gears turning in her friend's mind. "However, " she added, more slowly, "it _is _a party, and the perfect opportunity to have a little fun – and find out whose idea this was."

Jessica grinned. "Well, if you're going to be there, even to just ignite a little mischief, I suppose I might as well go ahead and go." Both she and Nat glanced at Kim.

"I doubt it, " the telepath said, in answer to their unspoken question. "But we'll see. Perhaps I should go – if only to attempt to keep you, Nat, from doing anything _too_ unpredictable."

Natalie smirked. "If you go, maybe I'll try to keep my tricks fairly predictable. Just for you."

Kim laughed. "Predictable? The word isn't even in your vocabulary!" she teased, moving past her into the room.

"She does have a point, " Jess agreed, grinning. "Well, let's go down to dinner and get this answering business over with, Nat." She turned to add, "Coming, Kim?"

"In a few minutes, " Kimberly replied, gesturing toward the dresser. "I need to change really quickly. You guys go ahead and go on without me."

After her friends had left and closed the door behind them, the girl's gaze immediately caught a red envelope taped to the back of the door. Judging by the identical pieces of tape around it, the other two had been there, too, but had fallen sometime during the interim period. Prying it loose, she noticed that the sender had taken the time to write her name in Old English, medieval script. The card inside of it was simple, depicting a verdant, garden path that wouldn't look totally out of place at Darcy's estate in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Opening it, she marveled at the beautiful script flowing in neat, precise lines across the thick paper:

_Although I'm rather fond of verse, I cannot write it well, _

_But I still hope that your Valentine's Day is swell. _

_Should you not attend the party, I think that you will find_

_The volume beneath your pillow able to keep you occupied._

_Happy Early Valentine's Day. _

It was unsigned, but the simple, heartfelt little verse made her smile, particularly as she glanced toward her pillow. It _did_ appear to be bulkier than usual, even at its fluffiest, from this vantage point. Curiously, Kimberly crossed the room to her bed, and lifted up the pillow. Her smile widened a little as she beheld a slim volume entitled The Sonnets of William Shakespeare.


	7. Cupid Would Blush

**A/N:** To the people who are still following along, I've been done with this story for about four months; I just haven't found time to upload the rest of it since returning to school. But, here is chapter seven - expect eight and nine along by the end of next week. Cheers!

**++Chapter VII: Cupid Would Blush++**

"_But love is blind and lovers cannot see_

_The pretty follies that themselves commit;_

_For if they could, Cupid himself would blush_

_To see me thus transformed to a boy."_

_William Shakespeare_

By the time Friday morning rolled around, nearly all of the students were chattering incessantly about the Valentine's Day dance that was being hosted by the teachers that night. Logan found himself allocated the task of driving the boys to the nearest florist – for those that were hoping to impress their dates with a fancy corsage, that is – and most of the girls were hastily comparing outfits, trying to decide on the perfect wardrobe for the evening. Natalie was one of the lucky few that didn't have any issue with that, settling on a regular pair of pants and shirt. Nothing that anyone said or did could convince her to wear a dress or a skirt fort the event, although she did grudgingly agree to Kim putting her hair up with a shiny red-and-black stick, complete with a small ornament, to match her clothing. Jessica had finally settled on a simple blouse, dressy slacks, and permitted Kitty to give her a simple, semi-formal hairstyle.

"Are you _sure_ I don't look – underdressed for a dance?" Jess asked again, nervously, as she smoothed down her outfit in front of their mirror.

"You look wonderful, Jess, " Kimberly answered truthfully, smoothing a tiny crease out of her shin-length, black skirt. "I'm sure he'll love your outfit. I mean, hey. It's _you_."

Natalie made a retching sound from where she was flopped on the bed, careful not to nudge her hair out of place. "Mushy stuff. Blech."

She was cut off from anymore good-natured complaining by a knock on the door. Suddenly, she, too, felt a little nervous, and sneaked a glance at Kim. _Well? Who is it?_

Her friend refrained from replying, opening the door instead to reveal Kurt Wagner and Peter Rasputin, both of whom also looked rather nervous.

"Erm, hi, Kim, " Kurt said after a moment. "We're here for uh, Nat and Jess."

"I had no idea, " the telepath chuckled, giving them both a grin. "Your dates are here!" she called back merrily over her shoulder, earning her a hard shove in the shoulder from Nat as the girl made her way to the door.

"'Lo, elf, " Natalie greeted. "Great night for a party, isn't it?"

Kurt grinned, showing his fangs. "_Ja_. You have everything?"

Nat smirked, reaching down to pat her many pockets. "Let's just say I've got several surprises waiting for everyone, as planned."

Colossus peered past Kim's shoulder after Nat had barged out and engaged Nightcrawler in conversation. "But where is Jessica?"

"H-hello, Peter, " Jess managed as she finally came to the door. She flushed a little as his eyes widened, and even more so when he murmured, "You look wonderful."

"Alright, let's cut the mushy crap and get moving, shall we?" Natalie interrupted, pulling a bottle out of one pocket. "I've got some punch to spike."

The party was just getting started as the five teenagers arrived downstairs. Logan, leaning grumpily against a wall, watched the students trail in with narrowed eyes. He had to make sure that nothing happened on his watch; no matter how well-behaved some of the students might be, they were still, well, kids. He raised an eyebrow as Nat and the rest of her party made their way into the front hall, particularly as he noticed her immediately edging toward the punchbowl, a small bottle clutched firmly in one hand.

Natalie snuck a quick glance to the left and right, and began tipping the bottle innocently toward the bowl of punch – until someone said, right behind her: "You're not planning on spiking that punch, are you?"

Logan grinned a little as the girl whirled to stare at him defiantly. After she and Kurt took Scott's bike and managed to outrace the other four miscreants in Cyclops's car, he had to admit that the kid had spunk, especially if she was attempting a little mischief at the party.

"And what if I am?" Nat answered, eyes narrowing. "Are you going to try to stop me?"

"No, " he replied, honestly, "I'm not. I don't want anything happening under my watch. Look, if you're really set on doing this, wait until Ororo gets here." He shrugged a little. "This whole thing was her idea. She can't blame me for it if I'm not here when it happens."

Natalie's defiant expression promptly shifted into a smirk. "This was _Storm's_ idea? In that case, I'll definitely do more than just spike the punch … "

Across the hall, Jessica, Peter, and Kimberly were chatting lightly, although their conversation paused as a slower, more stately song began flowing from the various speakers stationed around the living room, which had been cleared temporarily of furniture to provide a dance floor, of sorts.

"May I have the honor?" Colossus asked formally, clicking his heels together as he bowed to Jess.

Kim grinned as her friend blushed and permitted him to lead her onto the dance floor, leaving the dark-haired telepath rather alone near one of the windows. Edging along the walls, she waved briefly at Rogue and Bobby as the pair arrived, noticing Kurt near Natalie and Logan. All three appeared to be rather deep in conversation, and judging by the broad, scheming grin on her friend's face, she was relatively certain that things were going to soon erupt into insanity at the party. Determined to make an escape as soon as she could manage it, she headed for the staircase, narrowly missing colliding with a bespectacled Hank McCoy, who was muttering under his breath, "Mine eye hath play'd the painter and hath steel'd, thy beauty's form in table of my heart … "

Eyes widening, Kimberly hastily altered her course for the library, blanching as the opening lines of the Shakespearean sonnet reverberated in her head. _Beast sent me a valentine?_ Her head spun as she wearily lowered herself into the nearest armchair, and shut her eyes, rubbing at her temples. _What on earth should I do? _

A soft whirring alerted her to Professor Xavier's approach, although even if it hadn't, his mental presence would have been more than enough to inform her that he had just entered the room. He paused as he drew near her chair, and gazed concernedly at her for a long moment. "Is everything alright, Kimberly?"

"I – yes, " she replied after a moment, glancing up to meet his gaze. She shifted a little self-consciously, very much aware of how his pale eyes were trained upon her. "I'm just not really much of a party-type, " she admitted, giving him a small smile. "I don't exactly dance, and well – both Jess and Nat ended up with escorts. There are only so many rounds one can make at the refreshment table before it gets a little repetitious."

Xavier returned her smile. "Ah, yes. Ororo did work especially hard to make sure that this would be an event that everyone would enjoy. I believe that she's joining the party shortly."

Kim grimaced a tiny bit. "I suppose I'd better go poke my head back in there to keep an eye on Nat. Just in case she decides to – do something."

"Knowing Natalie, " the Professor replied amusedly, "that's probably a good idea." He paused, leaning forward slightly. "I've been meaning to ask you and Jessica if you've given any thought yet as to where you want to go once you demonstrate enough mastery of your powers." He watched as her expression waxed thoughtful. "You are always welcome to remain here as a fully-fledged member of the X-Men, and teach the new generations of students. However, if you were interested in pursuing higher education at a more – universally accredited school – I will gladly write you a letter of recommendation."

"I've always wanted to become a doctor, " the younger telepath said quietly. "I would like to pursue medical-related studies, and be licensed to practice medicine, or to at least diagnose and treat ailments in a clinic."

"Our clinic could always use another doctor to work alongside Hank, " he remarked, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "Have you decided on a university, yet?"

She shook her head, the ghost of a grin flitting across her visage.

"You have plenty of time to think about it, " Professor Xavier assured her softly. "Let me know when you have decided upon one, and I will write a letter to assist you with the application process."

Kimberly closed her eyes briefly. "I – I don't know what to say, really, " she managed to get out after a moment. "Thank you, Professor. I'd – I'd really appreciate it." She stood, brushing a small wrinkle from her skirt. "I'm going to go find the party I came with, " she chuckled. Pausing just as she reached the doorway of the library, she added, "Happy Valentine's Day, Professor."

Charles Xavier watched her leave, gaze unmoving as he murmured, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and far more temperate … " Reaching into his jacket, he removed a slim volume, identical to the one left for Kimberly, and gave The Sonnets of William Shakespeare a tiny smile.

"I see the party's in full swing, " Storm observed as she crossed the hallway toward Logan, who had resumed his position by the doorway.

He merely shrugged in response. "They're kids, " he replied. "It's a party. What did you expect was going to happen?"

She would curse him later for those words, although she didn't know that at the time. "Point taken, " she conceded cheerfully, raising an eyebrow as a tow-headed kid stumbled past them with a rather intoxicated sounding giggle. Her eyes narrowed a little. Besides the fact that Daniel was much too young to be consuming alcohol, this was also a school. There wasn't supposed to be any alcohol on the entire campus. She shook her head. Perhaps it was just a coincidence or a figment of her imagination. Yes, that was probably it. She had only imagined that Daniel giggled as though he were intoxicated. There was nothing at all to be worried about.

Natalie's eyes narrowed in anticipation as Storm passed by. _Excellent._ As people began taking turns on and off of the dance floor, the contents of the punch bowl were steadily dwindling, and she was certain that nearly everyone had had at least one cup of her version of the beverage.

Outside in the main hallway, Kurt grinned as he located the thermostat for the mansion. Flipping the cover open neatly, he peered at all of the different settings. "Danger Room … Study … Library … Infirmary … Ah-ha, Living Room." His tail swishing slowly, he moved the slider upward, ensuring that the temperature would begin to rise on and around the dance floor. "Blue Boy to Shade, " he whispered into his wristwatch. "Stage Two has been accomplished."

Ororo did a double take as Rogue and Bobby passed by, laughing outrageously and weaving in and out of some dance moves that she was certain their parents probably would have never approved of. "Logan? Is it just me, or do these kids all seem – a little off?"

Logan carefully maintained his surly expression. "They're kids, Storm, " he repeated. "They seem to be having a good time, to me."

The weather goddess frowned uneasily, and began fanning herself with her hand. "Well, I had hoped that they would, " she said at last, grimacing a little. "I guess I should have allocated other areas of the mansion for the party, though; all this body heat is really making this place warm." Her gaze flicked toward the refreshment table. From this distance, it seemed that the punch bowl was nearly empty. "You want anything off of the table?" she added as she took a few steps toward the refreshments.

Wolverine shook his head. "I'm fine." He grimaced a little as Storm headed toward the punch bowl, and surreptitiously cast a glance toward Natalie, still leaning against one of the walls closer to the staircase and snickering at something with Nightcrawler. "Just remember, kid, I knew nothing about this, " he muttered under his breath.

Kimberly peeked around the corner from the other side of the hall, quickly scanning faces and checking mental presences. Fortunately, the familiar, blue form of Hank McCoy was nowhere to be seen, and with a sigh, the girl dared to re-enter the foyer, stopping short at the scene that awaited her. _Oh, man._

Nearly everyone in the foyer and the living room was giggling madly, swaying drunkenly from side to side and hiccupping, or laughing outrageously at something completely ridiculous. Pyro was doing a little jig with one of the lampshades plopped onto his head, and the small crowd gathered around him was roaring its approval. Even Storm, much to the telepath's shock, was dancing in a corner without much inhibition – alone, to be sure, but dancing just the same. The few people that weren't affected were carefully staying clear of the inebriated people; Jessica and Peter were staring with mixed horror and amusement; Logan scowled from over by the doorway, although his expression occasionally twitched quickly into the tiniest of smirks; Natalie and Kurt were laughing as they moved in time to the beat of the rock song currently blaring out of the speakers.

_Nat? What on earth did you put into that bowl?_

Nat's movements stilled, and she turned her head slightly in her friend's direction. _Just a little something to liven things up, _she smirked in response. _The party could use a little enhancement, and Storm had it coming to her for coming up with the idea to begin with._

Kim coughed a little. _And what's with Logan smirking over there by the doorway? You must have let him in on your plan._

_Yep._

The dark-haired telepath groaned under her breath. _I'm not surprised at you, really, _she managed to reply after a moment. _But uh, Nat, when the Professor finds out about this –_

_Oh, what're you going to do about it, huh? Are you going to tattle-tell on me, is that it? Ruin all of my fun by telling the big guy in charge? _

Kimberly grimaced. _If he finds out about it, it won't be from me. I'm sure he has his methods …_

Logan suddenly stepped forward from the doorway as the rabble of the party silenced. Dancing couples stilled in mid-air. Storm was frozen mid-twirl, and the lampshade toppled off of John Allerdyce's head as he, too, simply ceased to move. Eyes narrowing, he darted a quick glance toward Kim, Jess, Nat, Peter, and Kurt, and grunted. They appeared to be unaffected by the sudden – well, whatever it was.

Jessica gasped, and instinctively drew a little closer to Colossus. "What – What's going on?"

Nat cast a suspicious look at Kim. "Did you -- "

"No, " she answered before Natalie could finish, "I didn't."

"I did, " Professor Xavier answered as he wheeled into the foyer, staring at the unaffected individuals. "Since you are the only ones who do not have a – questionable – state of mind, you will be assisting Logan and Mr. McCoy with ensuring that everyone makes it safely back to their rooms. Classes will be canceled tomorrow." Before Natalie could look too happy, he added, "Oh, and the six of you will join Scott in the Danger Room tomorrow morning at six."

"There are only five students out here, " Logan pointed out. "You said 'the six of you.'"

"Yes, Logan, " Xavier replied patiently, "I did. You knew about this, I believe, as you did absolutely nothing to prevent it. Therefore, you will join the five students in the Danger Room. Besides, I believe they could use some tips and pointers from someone with a more – direct – point of view when it comes to combat." As he wheeled toward his study, he was almost certain that he heard Natalie groan. Cyclops was going to give them a thorough workout in the morning, he was sure.


	8. An Inhumane Plan

**++Chapter VIII: An Inhumane Plan++**

"_The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that's the essence of inhumanity." – George Bernard Shaw_

Kimberly couldn't remember a time when she had been more tired after participating in a four hour Danger Room session. Scott had barely given any of them a reprieve; it didn't matter to him that she hadn't even facilitated Nat's little scheme, but had only arrived back in the foyer in time to witness its results. Even Logan had grumbled once or twice about the level of performance Cyclops had demanded from them all. Natalie and Kurt were perhaps the most vocal of the bunch throughout the extensive session – after all, they saw no harm at all in having a little fun.

"This is unfair, " Nat had muttered as they finally exited the Danger Room. "They should have expected that someone would try to spike the punch."

"You should have expected that Professor Xavier would come up with a consequence like this, " Kim returned.

Natalie's eyes narrowed. "Bite me."

As they approached the elevator, Kimberly parted from the group, continuing deeper into the mansion's subterranean level. Despite the fact that normal classes had been canceled that day, she had been instructed to report to Cerebro, as usual, for another telepathic session. She had been permitted to wear the headgear for the first time in the previous session, although it was disconnected to prevent her from truly using it. Professor Xavier had explained the finer workings of the headpiece, and taught her, by using it himself, how to find what one was seeking with the amplified assistance that the machine provided. Rather lost in thought, the girl was startled from her reverie by the sound of footsteps coming from behind her. Perhaps this was a new telepathic student?

Kimberly turned, abruptly standing there agape in the hallway.

"You alright, Kim?" Jessica asked.

The dark-haired telepath blinked, confused. "What're you doing down here, Jess? Did Professor X call you down here or something?"

"Of course not, " her friend replied glibly. "I just came to find you and tell you that the Professor's going to be a little late. He's finishing up with his physics class, and he told me to come back down here and let you know that."

"Oh." Kim didn't look – or sound – very convinced. "But aren't you going to be late for your next class?"

As Jess hesitated, Kimberly took that opportunity to scan the surface of her mind, and abruptly reeled at what she found. Jessica's mind was nothing like this being's – not as cunning, not as bent on destruction, and certainly never bearing the intent to infiltrate. _Professor, I think you ought to come down here immediately, _she said at once, eyes widening.

"I'll be alright, " Jessica replied, gaze darkening as Kim's eyes widened. An ugly sneer stole over her face. "Although it was apparently a mistake for me to attempt to get past _you_."

Kimberly's eyes narrowed. "Obviously, " she replied, immediately putting her telepathic abilities on the offensive. She was prepared to shoot a psychic bolt at the imposter's mind.

_Stay calm, Kimberly. I'm on my way. _

The girl visibly relaxed as Charles Xavier's voice filled her mind. _Thank goodness, Professor. I don't know how – _

Jessica lunged toward her at that very moment, sensing that her guard was down, and knocked her violently to the floor, easily holding her there by pressing one foot to her chest. "Hasn't the good Professor taught you to never let your guard down, little Empath?" she taunted.

Kim glared. "Hasn't anyone ever taught _you _that it's wrong to break and enter?"

As Jess drew her arm back, readying for a punch, she suddenly froze in midair.

Kimberly gasped, and struggled hastily out of the way of Jessica's foot, which was no longer restraining her.

"Are you alright?" Professor Xavier asked, concerned, as he wheeled toward them.

She could only nod in response. "I'm fine, but Jess – I mean, whoever this is … "

His eyes narrowed in anger as her voice trailed off. "Magneto has sent a spy into our ranks, " he said after a moment. "And perhaps now, we shall finally get some answers."

Jessica convulsed suddenly, still frozen in position, and began to change. Kim stared, astonished, as the form of one of her dearest friends morphed into a tall, blue-skinned, yellow-eyed, glaring woman.

"Mystique, " Xavier explained, "is a shapeshifter, as you've probably already discerned, Kimberly."

"I could tell that much, " Kim replied a trifle dryly, dark gaze still locked onto Mystique's furious, golden one. "But then why, may I ask, is she – here?"

"That is something we'll have to ask her, " he replied, closing his eyes.

The shapeshifter jerked roughly in midair, eyes suddenly wide. She was powerless against Charles Xavier's mental probe. Against her will, she revealed everything to him: How Magneto was behind the so-called "vandalism" of the Space Needle. How she had been spying on his Institute for the past few months. How she had watched Jessica carefully to learn her behavior before transforming into her in order to attempt to gain access to Cerebro through Kimberly. How Magneto planned to rebel against the government's anti-mutant attitude.

As Xavier realized Magneto's plan, his eyes widened – first in shock, then in anger.

_Professor? _

Kimberly's uncertain inquiry slowly pulled his attention back to the situation at hand._What do you see? _

"Magneto is planning to move against the government, " he said at last, withdrawing from the shapeshifter's mind. "The senatorial debates are no doubt giving him the impression that the government may soon decide to act on some of the politicians' feelings."

"Isn't that entirely possible, though?" the younger telepath couldn't help asking. "They're not exactly in my good graces for failing to listen to the needs of the minorities, after all."

"It is, " Xavier allowed. "And Magneto is preparing to openly respond to that possibility, regardless of whether Washington follows the wind and rumors, or not."

Kim frowned a little. "And what, exactly, _is_ he planning on doing?"

The Professor's gaze shifted more fully onto her.

_There was a clang of metal upon metal. Suddenly, there was a clear image of the Space Needle, and then – there, the Brotherhood, infiltrating the structure and reporting back to Magneto that it was the perfect height for his plan. Two immense, metal hemispheres, carefully hidden out of sight until the moment was right__, appeared__. Even in a vision, the power that emanated from them was palpable. _

_Flash. _

_"It will make them rue the day that they ever thought about acting against mutants." Erik Lehnsherr's voice was very clear inside her mind. "All I need is exactly two minutes of contact with the machine to amplify my powers. Those _homo sapiens _won't even know what hit them, my dear." _

_"But Erik - " and this was clearly Mystique speaking, now, "what exactly are you going to do to them? You know that killing them will only attract the attention and fury of Xavier's team." _

_"We will not kill them, " Magneto responded confidently. "Once my powers are magnified, not unlike how Charles's are amplified when he uses Cerebro, electromagnetic waves will pulse through the brain of every_homo sapien _in Washington state. Most, if not all, will never be able to think a conscious thought again. But they will not die."_

Reeling, Kimberly wrenched her mind away from the vision, and almost stumbled backwards. "He can't do this, " she gasped, shocked. "I know that you said that he's very pro-mutant, anti-human, but this is – this is practically the same thing as committing murder, Professor, especially if there's never going to be any medical hope of those people recovering!"

"Which is precisely why we will not let him do this, " he replied, not even blinking as Scott strode down the hallway. "Scott, assemble the team and prepare the jet, " Xavier said quietly, eyes narrowing as he added aloud, "And Logan, you will help me see to it that Mystique leaves the grounds of the mansion. She is not to be harmed while she is on this estate."

Wolverine's eyes narrowed in anticipation as he approached the still-frozen shapeshifter. "Have it your way, Chuck, " he replied, glaring at Mystique.

Kim took a step toward the elevator, and then paused as it opened, spilling out the X-Men.

"Charles, what is this urgent mission?" Storm asked, even as she hurried toward the ready room.

"Scott and I will brief you on the way, " Xavier answered. "The population of Washington state is at stake. According to what I have learned from Mystique, he plans to act during the senatorial debates in Washington, tonight."

"Someone has to stay and watch the recruits, " Scott reminded them, suddenly emerging from the ready room, fully-suited. "We can't leave them here unprotected."

"Doesn't the mansion have built-in defenses?" Kimberly asked, causing the field leader to turn and stare at her momentarily.

"It does, " he said after a moment, "but as you're not fully-fledged X-Men, I think that - "

"We should go with you? An excellent idea!"

As the elevator door swung open a second time, Jessica and Natalie emerged, determinedly.

Scott coughed a little uncomfortably. "Perhaps Kurt …"

"If you think that you're going to go kick Magneto's arse without us, think again, " Nat announced boldly. "Besides, Kurt's the _last_ person you'd want to put in charge of babysitting everyone else, and if he's going, then so am I."

"This isn't a Danger Room session, " Logan stated matter-of-factly as he finished zipping up his jacket. "If you're going to come with us, you're going to have to be willing to work with us."

"Since when do you concern yourself with teamwork?" Natalie retorted, although her lips twitched upward into a smirk. _Fair enough._

"Well-stated, Logan, " Professor Xavier said at last, permitting himself a small look of amusement. "Ororo will help you three find some suits, " he added to the trio. "Scott and I shall see you and the rest of the team on the X-Jet."

As Jessica struggled into one of the skin-tight suits, she couldn't help but wonder exactly what Natalie had got them into this time. Kim had contacted them both, and briefed them on the situation. As impulsive and ready to fight as always, even though they had just spent four hours in the Danger Room that morning, Shade had leapt off of her bed enthusiastically with a shout of, "Let's go kick his arse!"

Natalie's expression shifted from enthused to grim determination as she suited up. Magneto could not be permitted to disable the population of an entire state, no matter what his reasons. She was angry with the anti-mutant attitude the government seemed to be adopting, but at the same time, taking out one's wrath on innocent lives was just plain _wrong_. No, she was going to do everything in her power to stop him.

Strong sensations of anger, fear, and doubt assaulted Kim's mind as she gently touched those of her friends. Were any of them truly ready for this sort of confrontation? Perhaps they were, and then again, perhaps they were not. _In order to have faith, fraulein, one must have a little doubt_, Kurt had told her, once, when they talked about the concept of placing faith in anything, be it a person, one's self, or a higher being. _It is what makes us human._ The dark-haired telepath slowly pulled on one of the field suits. Pivoting on a heel toward an awaiting pair of boots, she stared at her reflection against one of the glass cases for a long moment. Just several months ago, she had been a mere girl, preparing for life at college. She had the normal worries, doubts, and fears of a student who was about to once again undergo the ritual of falling from the top of one ladder to the bottom of another. But the serious, wide-eyed woman who stared back at her surely couldn't be the same person.

"Kim?"

She blinked.

"Kim, c'mon! We can't leave without you, you know!"

She stuffed her feet into the boots, silently, taking a deep breath before turning to face her friends.

There was a moment where the two pairs of brown eyes met one of hazel. And then, finally:

_Let's go._

"The perimeter is secure, " Toad's voice crackled, causing Magneto to wince slightly as he steadily approached the Space Needle. He was far more accustomed to hearing Mystique's voice through the two-way radio system. He shook his head automatically. It had felt strange, indeed, having her away on a separate mission while he and his occasionally less-than-capable henchmen prepared to make a statement to the government of the United States. Glancing briefly toward his watch, his grimace shifted into a frown. Why hadn't she reported back by now?

"Magneto?"

Exhaling slowly, Magneto finally replied with a firm, "Well done, Toad. They will begin broadcasting the senatorial debate from Washington in twenty minutes. By the time they are finished, we shall be gone."

A vague sense of discomfort enveloped him as he stepped out of his car, staring upward toward the tall, momentous structure. He hated having to work without having someone on the inside – namely, Mystique – to monitor their opponents and to effectively dispose of the _homo sapiens_whenever they got in their way.

"Erik."

The master of magnetism's gaze snapped toward his two-way radio. "Well, my dear?"

Even through the device, he could sense her narrowing her eyes. "You're going to have company. Xavier's people are on their way."


	9. Imitating the Tiger

**A/N: **One more chapter after this one! I've started work on the sequel, but it'll be a while before I have the first chapter posted. Thanks so much to those of you who have reviewed! Enjoy!

**++Chapter IX: Imitating the Tiger++**

"_In peace there's nothing so becomes a man_

_As modest stillness and humility;_

_But when the blast of war blows in our ears,_

_Then imitate the action of the tiger: _

_Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood." _

_William Shakespeare, King Henry IV_

The X-Jet soared effortlessly through the air currents floating over the Midwest. Even with Storm's assistance, they had no way of telling what the weather would do next. Occasionally, they would encounter a bit of turbulence, and the weather goddess gave Logan a look every time he began to grumble. After all, she'd need to save her power for when they crossed over the deserts in the far west.

"But what does this Magneto want with the Space Needle?" Natalie asked again, eyes glued almost attentively, for once, on the Professor. Or the back of his head, more like.

"He's going to try to incapacitate an entire state, " Xavier answered. "Magneto has constructed a device that he will use to amplify his powers. He plans to send out electromagnetic waves through the machine at the top of the Space Needle. He hopes to disrupt the brain waves of the humans living in Washington state – or, at the very least, to agitate them to a point where the government will sit up and take notice of it."

"That's cruel, " Jessica murmured, hazel eyes darkening with anger.

"Erik and I have always had – different methods, although we share the same, common goal. I chose to work toward mutant and human unity by nurturing the school in Westchester. He chose to go down a different path and fight to achieve mutant supremacy."

Kim's forehead wrinkled a little as she caught the smallest shift in Professor Xavier's mental broadcasts. There was – sadness. He and Magneto had been friends in what seemed another lifetime, before the accident that took the use of his legs from him, before they opened the School for the Gifted together, before Magneto had decided to found the Brotherhood. She sighed a little. She could think of at least two historical figures who had a quite similar story. "And fighting with his people will be enough to sufficiently stop him in his tracks?" she couldn't help asking.

"No, " Xavier replied, "but it will hopefully be enough to sufficiently distract those who are undoubtedly lying in wait for us, and enable us to stop him in time."

Logan's irritated voice interrupted their trains of thought. "Iceboy, keep your cold hands to yourself for once."

Bobby Drake shrugged. "Hey, I didn't touch you, okay?"

"He's tellin' the truth, " Rogue interjected, glancing between her boyfriend and Wolverine.

Five minutes later, Logan growled and turned around again. "I'm warning you, Icee, hit me in the back of the neck again and I swear I'll - "

He was cut off by a wet paper ball that hit him square on the face.

"Bullseye, " Nat snickered, lowering her straw triumphantly. "I just couldn't resist." _And that's as much of an apology as you're going to get, Logan. _

Behind her, Kurt was doing his best to suppress his laughter. "Nice one, Fraulein Natalie."

Wolverine plucked the wet, paper ball off of his face and stared at it for a moment. "Look, Shade, I think you've got spunk, but we're about to go off and fight in a battle, and this is the first thing you think of doing?"

Nat shrugged. "I thought the plane ride was getting too quiet."

"It's a jet, " Scott muttered under his breath, from the cockpit.

Jess shared an amused look with Kim before turning her attention to the sky soaring by the nearest window. It was a beautiful day, and she wished that their trip had a more pleasant purpose. It was perfectly sunny; the sky was blue; puffy cumulus clouds surrounded them and repeatedly gave way to clear vision as Storm swept them away from them. This was the sort of day that one would go to the beach on in Florida, or perhaps an amusement park, or – well, many other things that were much more welcome to her pacifistic nature than fighting.

"Earth to Jess. Come in, Jess."

She gave a murmured, "Hmm?" as she glanced back over at her friend. "What's up, Kim?"

"You just looked sort of out of it, " the dark-haired telepath replied with a small grin. "Although I can't say that I blame you, really. Thinking about the fight that's imminent isn't helping my spirits any. If it makes you feel any better, I'm downright nervous and anxious."

Toad watched as the X-Jet began to touchdown a short distance away from the Space Needle, a frown growing steadily on his rather repulsive visage. "The X-Men have arrived, " he reported quickly through his two-way radio.

"Keep them busy, " Magneto's voice instructed. "I've begun to power up the machine."

The minute that Kim, Jess, and Nat emerged from the X-Jet, they all found themselves ducking large slews of slime.

"Gross! What _is _this stuff?" Kimberly squealed, ducking and forced to roll over the ground to avoid a particularly nasty bit of flying slime.

"Toad's slime!" Scott yelled back in response, shooting his optic lasers toward the blasts of slime. "Don't let it get onto you; it hardens instantly upon whatever it touches!"

Ice shot past them and elicited a strangled yell from the slime-throwing minion.

"Go on through; I'll keep him covered!" Bobby hollered.

As Toad struggled to evade Iceman's blasts, the rest of the X-Men charged past him and began heading for the base of the Space Needle.

"Get down!" Logan roared suddenly, leaping forward with his claws unleashed to meet a large blur of brown that was hurtling toward them through the air.

Sabretooth growled, frustrated, as he collided with his archenemy instead of an X-Man that would be much easier to finish off.

"You're always getting in the way, bub, " Wolverine said casually, locking claws with the other mutant.

Sabretooth snarled in response as the two began to fight, slashing at each other in a display of uninhibited, animalistic anger.

"Let's sneak around them while they're busy fighting, " Natalie hissed toward Scott. "They won't notice us!"

"Shade, I'm the field leader. I'll give the orders, " he replied, equally quietly. After a short pause, he added, "Let's sneak around them and keep heading toward the entrance."

Kim exchanged an amused look with her friend as they complied. Casting a glance back over her shoulder, she noticed that Logan was slowly drawing Sabretooth farther and farther away from the entrance to the Space Needle, giving them more time to head for the doorway.

"It's eerie being in here at night, " Jessica whispered as the team entered the base of the Needle. "Isn't this place usually swarming with tourists?"

"Thank goodness Magneto chose to carry out his plan when there weren't any people in here, " Kimberly whispered back. "I can't imagine the effects of the machine on people _inside_ the building. Being outside of it will ensure damage enough."

Cyclops suddenly held up his hand, halting the team's movement. "Hold it. Something's happening."

The ceiling above their heads began to tremble slightly, accompanied by a low rumbling that gradually began easing into a soft, metallic hum.

"We're too late!" Rogue cried, eyes wide. "He's already started the machine!"

_Hurry!_

As Xavier's urgent call echoed through their minds, several team members, Kim and Jess included, dashed for the stairwell.

"Um, guys?" Nat called after them.

"Yeah?"

"Haven't you forgotten something?"

There was a pause.

"We're mutants, remember? We don't need to take the bloody stairs!"

"Storm, Shade, we'll need your assistance, " Scott ordered. "Let's go!"

As Ororo's eyes whitened, a wild breeze swept into the room, steadily growing in strength until it was a full out gale, gusting enough to send team members up into the air. At the same time, a blast issued from Scott's visor blew large holes in the ceiling, tearing through the barriers that separated them from each floor. Steadying herself atop her own shadow, Natalie quickly solidified it and began gathering the shadows of her teammates around her, melding them together to create what resembled an immense, black boogie board.

"Hop on!" she hollered wildly to those who weren't already being dragged upward by Storm's winds.

"This is insane!" Kim yelled back, pulling herself up onto the makeshift board with a Herculean effort. "And it definitely isn't the beach!"

Next to her, Jessica muttered something that sounded very much like, "I really didn't just do this, " but the gales quickly carried her words away.

"Nope, but she's producing enough wind to create a tsunami!" Nat shouted back, grinning. "Hold on!"

As the shadowy board flew upwards, buoyed by the wind, there was a loud BAMF!

"You weren't going to do this without me, were you, Fraulein?" Kurt asked loudly, clinging to the bottom of the board for dear life.

"Kurt!" Nat yelled back, surprised. "What are you doing on this thing? You could have just teleported up there!"

"And miss out on all of the fun? That's what you're suggesting,_ja_?"

"You two can quibble over this later!" Kimberly shouted, casting an anxious glance at the floors above them. "Six more floors to go and the vibrations are getting worse!"

And indeed, they were getting worse. As the X-Men passed floor after floor, the metallic hum increased in volume, eventually growing into a high-pitched whine. Even Storm's roaring winds couldn't quite drown out the sound as they neared the top of the tower.

Suddenly, the winds died down and the shadowy board slowed its ascent, drawing to a halt on the observation deck of the Space Needle. Directly above them was a magnificent and awe-inspiring sight. Collectively, everyone looked up.

The roof of the Space Needle had been torn off of the building and now was suspended some thirty to forty feet above its original location. Spinning wildly, it was hovering in place, orbited by two immense, silver hemispheres. Large, metal arches curved over the Space Needle's roof, connected to the tower itself. And the magnetic field being generated by the contraption was becoming more and more visible; a crackling, perpetually moving field of blue and white light bounced back and forth between the sides of the building.

"Ah, welcome, X-Men!" Erik Lehnsherr called, striding toward them. "You're just in time to see my latest creation."

"Just in time to destroy it, you mean!" Jess hissed at him furiously as Natalie's shadowy board began to slowly change its shape.

The helmeted, cloaked man stared at her for a moment and then chuckled. "You must be one of Charles' newest recruits. I've heard interesting things about all of you." His silvery gaze flicked from hazel eyes to brown, settling on Nat. "You have all migrated to New York in time to avoid the anti-mutant wave sweeping Florida at this very moment; how very fortunate for you."

"How very _un_fortunate for you, " she shot back, mouth pinching into a snarl as she glared at him.

"Ah yes, I have to admit that you have a point there, " he replied gravely, raising his hands before him into a conciliatory 'who would have guessed that?' gesture. Before anyone could guess his intentions, he clapped his gloved hands together, causing the machine above them to whine just that much louder, strengthening the field of bluish-white light. And as everyone raised his or her hands to her head in an attempt to block out the sound, he pushed his hands violently outwards, ripping the railings from the observation deck. Another twirl of a hand twisted them into violently shaped crowbars, and a flick of the other hand caused them to fly toward the X-Men without warning.

The first one met resistance with a solid thud; Natalie's reshaped board was now an immense, black shield. Even as she gritted her teeth against the sound, she forced herself to remain upright, intent on blocking the deadly weapons from the rest of the team. "You can still stop the machine!" she yelled. "I'll hold him!"

Storm immediately began to ascend toward the humming device, white gaze focused on the crackling field of energy that was steadily gathering more and more power. A bolt of lightning shot down from skies that had suddenly turned dark, shoving its way into the electromagnetic waves. Behind Nat's shield, Scott had turned his attention to the spinning hemispheres, flipping the intensity setting on his visor to full power as he shot a blast toward them. Kurt teleported rapidly around the room, watching keenly for an opportune moment to remove Magneto's helmet, as he hoped that it would distract the older mutant long enough for them to stop him. Jess had turned her head toward the windows, focusing on the trees lining the road the Space Needle. With harsh, strident cries, an enormous flock of crows flew toward the tower, bursting through the windows just as Pyro shattered them with hurtling balls of flame.

Assaulted on all sides by squawking birds attempting to peck his eyes out, and distracted by Storm's attempts to manipulate the energy that he was still attempting to charge, Magneto quite missed the moment when Nightcrawler finally succeeded in removing his helmet from his head – until a series of voices broke into his mind simultaneously, becoming so loud that an intent buzzing began between his ears, along with what promised to be a smashing headache. And at that very moment, several things happened in rapid succession.

Storm's lightning suddenly recoiled as another boom of thunder resounded, bouncing off of the electromagnetic waves to find a new conductor through Storm. As she fell toward the deck, the bolt continued burning through the entire top of the Space Needle, charging the entire structure with deadly electricity.

Unable to maintain the integrity of her shield for much longer, Natalie was forced to her back on the floor by the pressure, and the crowbars shot straight over her head, heading for a recently teleported, triumphant Kurt Wagner.

Kimberly's concentration broke, enabling Magneto to throw his arms up before his face to protect it from the demanding, cawing crows. Meeting with resistance, they turned and swarmed in the other direction, attempting to flee the Space Needle. Some of them ended up in the path of Cyclops' visor along the way, and with a screech, they blindly attacked it, causing it to fall.

Head falling back in a roar of pain and horror, immense beams of energy shot from Scott's eyes, destroying the machine that was so intent on damaging the innocent. The force of the lasers knocked him off of his feet, sending him reeling toward the edge of the deck.

_Scott! _

But Xavier's cry was too late. Cyclops slipped, toppling almost gracefully over the edge of the Space Needle. It seemed to take an eternity for him to stop falling, he found himself noting peacefully in the back of his mind. Aware that Xavier was still connected to his thought-patterns, he quickly focused on something very, very important that he needed to say before he landed. _I'm sorry. At least this way, he won't be hurting anyone for a while. You've all been my family since I've gotten to know all of you – take care of each other. And as for my bike and car ... give the car to Bobby and the bike … to Natalie._

He impacted with the pavement far below with a jolt, crumpling into a heap of motionless limbs. The ruby lasers flickered once, twice, and then died.


	10. Honesty and Courage

**++ Chapter X: Honesty and Courage++**

"_People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built." – Eleanor Roosevelt_

In the days following the disastrous battle at the Space Needle, many events occurred which ordinarily would have brought a smile to anyone's face. Given the present circumstances at Xavier's School for the Gifted, hardly anyone was finding a real reason to smile, despite all of the news that was pouring in – most good, some not.

The government was unwilling to acknowledge that "a rogue band of mutants" had infiltrated the Space Needle in time to prevent a dangerous mutant extremist from causing severe brain damage to the entire population of Washington state. However, they were perfectly happy to announce to the world at large that they had captured this mutant extremist, one Erik Lehnsherr, an elderly man who was reported to go by the code name of "Magneto." In the meantime, a special military team had been assigned to oversee the cleanup of the Space Needle; it would take careful attention to ensure that no traces of mutant activity were left behind in the shattered windows, impossibly bent and destroyed handrails, the roof that had been ripped completely off of the top of the tower, and of course – the immense holes that gaped through each ceiling and floor. They were still baffled as to how the building had apparently sustained extensive wind damage and corrosion from what one scientist called, "lasers that we can't even begin to reproduce – or fathom the strength of." This only added fuel to the on-going debate between Senators Fulwood and Radley, leading into what was sure to become a tempestuous election season.

Shaken by the tragedy of losing one of their oldest and dearest members, all of the X-Men, team members and new recruits alike, gathered one sunny afternoon to pay their respects to Cyclops. Most seated on the front lawn dabbed at their eyes if they were feeling particularly sentimental; others showed considerably less grief on the outside, like Logan, who stood off to the side, expressing his own emotion in the best way that he knew possible: cigarless and with a serious, if distant gaze.

"Scott Summers was one of my very first students, " Professor Xavier concluded, gravely. "He was a man of merit and moral who deemed that the best led life was one conducted with honor and unequaled valor. I watched him grow from a boy into the courageous, honorable man that became your field leader. Let us all carry on his devotion to honor and courage, for with neither, we shall never find the peace that we have so long sought."

Kimberly, sandwiched between Natalie and Jessica, dropped her gaze to her clasped hands as Xavier finished speaking, vision blurring as a few tears fell to her lap, unbidden. Despite the tumult of the past few weeks, or perhaps because of it, she had eventually come to a decision about her education. _Neither Nat nor Jess are going to be particularly happy about this, _she reasoned for the upteenth time, _but it'll be for the best, I know it. _Turning her attention to the people around her, she inwardly recoiled as she reflected again on those who had fought to give them a chance to enter the Needle and stop Magneto; Storm recovered fairly quickly from the shock, progressing steadily from a wheelchair to crutches. According to Beast, she'd be back on her feet by the end of the next week. Kurt, fortunately, had teleported out of the way of Magneto's crowbars in the nick of time, and was fine. Logan's healing factor had already worked its magic on the scrapes and slashes he endured while fighting Sabretooth, and Bobby, outside of still attempting to pry dried slime off of his uniform, was otherwise well.

"Kim?"

She turned, somewhat startled. "What, Jess?"

Her friend sighed softly. "It's over, Kim. Are you coming?"

The memorial had indeed drawn to a close; Kurt was standing with Natalie off to the side, talking quietly with her. Most of the younger mutants had already retreated back into the mansion, leaving the ones burgeoning on adulthood outdoors. Courage, she reminded herself, and stood, simply nodding and striking out across the lawn.

"Professor Xavier wanted you to come to his office, Kimberly, " Ororo called toward her as she passed the main recreational room.

"Thanks, " Kim replied with a wave, continuing on toward the main staircase. Whatever the professor wanted, it would have to wait. It could wait.

_I have your letters. _

She froze, one hand on the smooth, wooden railing, and slowly turned, heading across the hall toward his office.

"Yes, Professor?" she said pleasantly enough as she entered after knocking, closing the door behind her. "Storm said you wanted to see me."

Xavier regarded her calmly for a long moment from behind his desk, finally wheeling out in front of it. "Yes, I did. I have the letters of recommendation prepared for you to use at the institution of your choice. All that's left for you to do is to fill in the blank of the school's name." He studied her closely as he held them out to her and she took them. "I know that you weren't thoroughly prepared for a real battle situation, " he said quietly, after a few moments. "I know how shocked you are by it – how painful it has been. Loss of a team member is rare, but it is obviously devastating to us when it occurs." He closed his eyes briefly before reopening them. He could be patient. He knew that she would tell him when she was ready.

"Professor, " Kimberly began at last, "I'm going to send these to schools that are out-of-state. I think it would be – better for me to go away to college and try to progress through the next four years as closely as I would have without having come to your Institute as possible." She hesitated only momentarily, but her gaze and voice remained steady. "I guess I'm just at that time where I – need this period more to myself or I'll never figure out this whole – independence thing. "

"I understand, " he interrupted gently. She was, after all, still a child despite the training that she had begun to undergo in the past few months. "Go mail your letters and let me know when you have found a favorable reply. I expect it won't take long, as you performed admirably in your high school prior to coming here – and I haven't heard a single complaint yet from any of your instructors here."

With a muttered, "Thank you, " she began heading for the door.

_I trust that you'll return when you're ready. _

Shaking her head briskly as though ridding it of an irritant, she left.

"Mail's in, " Logan called as he strode through the front door several weeks later, carrying a few stacks of envelopes with him. Tossing them onto a table in the kitchen, he hastily stepped out of the way as an expectant group of people converged upon the bundles. There were both smiles and groans at getting "letters from home"; Bobby in particular frowned as he shoved the letter from his mother into a pocket. He'd deal with it later. Kimberly, meanwhile, quietly picked up a couple of long envelopes and disappeared into the library with them. Both were from colleges farther south that she had applied to, eager to receive a fully accredited degree from one after four more years of schooling. The first letter held tidings of disappointment. _We regret to inform you that we cannot offer you a place in the upcoming class. _Typical, she mused privately, wondering why she had even bothered applying to an Ivy League school. Even if she had applied to Harvard and been accepted, she probably would have been thrown out on the grounds of being a mutant – if they had discovered that, of course. Being a telepath made it much easier for her to live as normally as possible; she didn't exactly have blue fur or glowing, red eyes. The second letter held more favorable news: Brennan University had accepted her.

"There you are, Kim."

She glanced up at Nat and Jess, giving them both a weary smile. "Hey."

"What're you reading?" Natalie wondered immediately, reaching over to pluck one of the letters away from her. Her eyes widened as she scanned it. "You've been applying to colleges and you haven't told us?" She grimaced a little as she reached the bottom of the letter. "They rejected you."

"But this one accepted me, " the telepath replied softly, showing both of her friends the cheerful letter from Brennan. "I know it's a little ways away from here and I'll be gone for a while, but – I really want to go finish up my education, you know?"

"That's great, Kim, " Jessica said slowly, mustering up a smile for her friend. "We'll miss you like crazy, though."

"And you didn't tell us you were doing this, " Natalie accused again, making a face. "You'd better come visit often or I'm infiltrating your college."

"I'll come visit over breaks, " Kim promised at last, folding the letter neatly. "In the meantime, I need to inform Professor Xavier about my acceptance and prepare to leave the Institute. I'll need to withdraw from my classes in a timely manner as I won't be a student when I return."

_I have already informed your instructors, _Xavier told her calmly._When do you leave for orientation? _

_In a couple of weeks. _

She could have sworn that he smiled through the mental link. _You'll have a lot to do before then, I expect. _

And she did. The next couple of weeks were filled with shopping and 'last' moments. Somehow, making the journey seemed an indelible part of her history. Once she began, she would not be able to look back – or go back. Everything was going to be different, her instincts informed her. But if she played her cards correctly, the differences would be good ones, with time. She spent her last few days reviewing move-in checklists, ensuring that she had everything to make her stay at Brennan a comfortable one, and buying a few textbooks off of Amazon. They would be waiting for her in her school mailbox once she arrived. Two days before she was scheduled to leave, Natalie cajoled her into taking a ride with her on the back of Scott's motorcycle. It was a miracle, she reflected later, that she didn't get whiplash from all of the twists and turns, but then again, she was never much of a daredevil.

"Cab's outside, " Logan reported as he shut the front door behind him. "Where is she?"

"Still moving some things downstairs, " Storm replied, walking out of the kitchen. "You could have volunteered your help."

He gave her a look as he leaned idly against the wall. "If she's got Shade, she's got all the help she needs."

Ororo laughed a little. "I see your point." The two X-Men were quiet for a long moment, chancing glances up the stairs as various thumps and shouts of, "Don't move that yet!" echoed down into the foyer. "She'll make an excellent field leader, someday."

Wolverine only grunted in reply, straightening as Jess and Nat made their way downstairs, one last container being conveyed between the two of them. "Is that the last of it? Her cab's waiting."

"Thankfully!" Natalie muttered. "She _always_ packs everything but the kitchen sink, I swear!"

"Logan, I'm sure Kimberly would appreciate it if you would begin loading the cab with her belongings, " Xavier prompted, wheeling around from the hallway beyond the front staircase. "She has a long ride to Georgia."

"The jet would have been faster, " Nat pointed out reasonably. "She'd be a lot more comfortable on it, too."

"A cab is less conspicuous, " Kimberly retorted as she finally came downstairs, a large messenger bag and laptop bag slung over her shoulder. "I think they'll start to suspect something if I arrive on the X-Jet."

"I'm going to miss you, Kim, " Jess said quietly, darting a glance toward the doorway. "Your cab's here."

Kim regarded her friends for the longest moment, mouth finally lifting upward into a small smile. "I'll miss you guys, too. I'll only be a phone call or an e-mail away, you know that. Besides, I'll be back before you know it. Christmas is only four months away, after all."

"Four months is a long time, " Natalie pointed out soberly, gaze fiercely serious as she strode over to her bag-laden friend and threw her arms around her briefly. "Take care of yourself. And if anyone gives you flack, tell me and I'll come kick their butts."

She had to laugh despite the tears that were welling up in her eyes. "I'll keep that in mind. I'll see you again very soon."

Jessica's eyes were already suspiciously bright as she, too, hugged her friend for a long moment. Words were not needed; what more was there to say?

Taking a step back at last, Kim rearranged her belongings and took one last look around her, gaze flickering around the foyer and the people in it, finally coming to rest on Professor Xavier.

"Good luck, " he said simply, offering his hand to her. She shook it, releasing it after a moment to step over the threshold of the mansion.

"Got your stuff loaded, " Logan told her gruffly as she approached the cab. He surprised her by leaning over to open the door for her, nodding his farewell. "Take care of yourself, kid. World's a big place."

She managed a smile at that, sliding into the seat before he shut the door firmly behind her.

As the cab pulled away from the mansion, heading back down the long, tree-lined driveway that would, with time, become the road that would take her to the airport and to the next four years of her life, Kimberly kept her nose pressed to the window, waving anxiously at the crowd on the doorstep. As they vanished from view, she sank back into the plush upholstery, attempting to mentally prepare herself for what lay ahead. The future is always an uncertain thing, and nothing is ever completely set in stone. There are so many choices that one must make in life; what road to travel down next will always be one of them. She wasn't sure what the future held, nor was she aware of the disastrous turns that mutant politics would eventually take. She wasn't aware of the ongoing, epic struggle that would one day determine the fate of their world. What she was certain of, at the moment, was that she was traveling in the right direction.

* * *

**Epilogue**

Yawning widely, Kim rolled over and set her alarm. She'd have to be awake in time to attend her morning class – a fact that she almost resented, to tell the truth. She'd much rather attend a course online, were that an option, but Brennan University didn't offer any. Fortunately, they weren't exactly strict on their attendance policy, so if she happened to miss a class here or there – no one would really know about it, or even care. She'd finally gotten settled into a dormitory, but had met very few people thus far, mainly keeping to herself and tidying up her space while making it hers. Inwardly groaning at the thought of attending a biology course in the morning, she gradually fell into a fitful sleep.

_She was in the middle of what appeared to be a well-furnished apartment, even though it was extremely crowded. Voices echoed around her on all sides, and she sank to the floor, pressing her hands to her ears in an effort to muffle them. She could hardly hear herself think! _

" … _mutant rabble … attempts on the man's life … investigation will be required … "_

_As they droned and buzzed on and on, she rocked back onto her heels, trying to stem the flow of voices. Then, as suddenly as they began, they vanished. The silence was almost painful, she noted, a stark contrast to the rolling, green hills that she suddenly found herself standing upon. A bell rang in the distance, the deep gong calling people to it. Perhaps it was a university or a monastery. She couldn't be certain which. _

_Suddenly, a winged form appeared in the sky above her, soaring down to land gracefully next to her. There was a bright flash; all she could discern through it were gleaming, aquiline eyes and immense, brown and white wings. Far off, she thought she heard loud peals of laughter that seemed to shake the ground that she was standing upon, but perhaps that was merely an illusion. _

_As the bell continued to ring, its tone changed to a mournful toll. Everything around her vanished, consumed by an immense, black cloud. As it drew closer, she began to run from it, instincts screaming and urging her on. She could hardly run fast enough. The cloud drew closer, roars echoing out of it as she felt it begin to pull her into its midst … _

With a jolt, her eyes snapped open.

* * *

**A/N: **And, that's all for this one, folks! I'll have the first chapter of the sequel up hopefully by Thanksgiving or slightly afterward, depending on how school treats me in the coming weeks. To give y'all a preview of what's coming up, the second story is more politically oriented and the final story in the trilogy revolves around the Apocalypse saga. Until then! 


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